Policeman pushes nursing mother, baby off Okada over N100-Ondo town

A nursing mother and her son were
injured in an accident caused by attempt by a
policeman to extort N100 from a commercial
motorcyclist, Okadaman, in Ondo town, Ondo
State.

Eyewitness account said trouble started when a
team of anti-crime police officers attached to
one of the police stations in the town allegedly
mounted a road block in one of the major roads.

Smart360news learned that one of the officers, in an
attempt to stop the Okada rider, pulled down the
boy and mother, while the motorcycle was in
motion.

Mother and child were rushed to the hospital,
while commercial motorcycle operators staged a
peaceful protest to show their displeasure over
alleged incessant extortion by policemen in the
town.

Smart360news gathered that the protest, which
started at about 9:30a.m. was led by leaders of
the association. They reportedly protested to all
the three divisional police stations in the town.

Spokesman of Okadamen, Timilehon Akinrolabu,
condemned the attitude of the policemen, who
he said were in the habit of extortion at illegal
road block in strategic locations in the town.

He said: “We decided to embark on the peaceful
protest to tell the police that we are tired with
the way they extort money from our members.

“This is common when the month is about to end
as they would be looking for their monthly
contributions, at times they usually used their
patrol vehicles to raid our parks and arrest our
members over flimsy excuses.”

However, the state police command has,
however, denied the allegation of extortion by
its officers.

A top police officer in Ondo town said that Okada
riders who were arrested had no identification
numbers on the motorcycles.

Speaking in confidence, the officer added that
the directive was to guide against crime in the
state.

“The police in this town are not enforcing the law
at all; they are extorting money from our
members, demanding N100 and N50.

“Another aspect of the story is that when the
Okadamen get go their stations, each have to
cough out between N1,500 and N2,000 for bail.”

He explained that they were at the police
stations to show their displeasure over the
development, just as he called on the relevant
authorities to intervene.