By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
Tipper drivers on Saturday blocked the Onitsha-Enugu expressway in protest against alleged extortion by naval officers operating on the Niger bridge.
Motorists were stranded for several hours as vehicular movements to and from Onitsha and Asaba were grounded with trucks blocking the highway from Bridge Head to Electronics Dealers International Market in the commercial city.
It was learnt that the protest was triggered by alleged extortion of N1,000 from the drivers.
The drivers also accused the naval personnel of puncturing the tyres of the lorry a colleague of theirs following the driver’s refusal to part with the demanded fee.
Addressing the media through their Chairman, Mr. Ebuka Unekwe, the protesters said the officers collect N500 for each trip at the three checkpoints of Atani Road Naval Base, Uga Junction by Onitsha Enugu expressway and Owerri Road Navy junctions.
Unekwe said, “Trouble started this morning when one of our members who had given them N1500 for passing through the three junctions in his first trip, was passing for the second trip at Uga Junction.
“The officials there demanded N500 from him and he told them that he does not have money again and the officer there fired two gunshots at his two tyres, and he called me and we mobilized and blocked the road in protest.”
Unekwe however said the drivers later withdrew their vehicles from the road following intervention of the Naval boss after they paid them the sum of N600,000.
Reacting, Onitsha Naval Outpost spokesman, John Enbak described the protest as pre-planned targeted at smearing the image of the Navy.
He however noted that normalcy has returned to the area.
He said: “A tipper driver flouted a directive given to him and one of our men fired a warning shot, which affected his vehicle tyre and he mobilized his members and blocked the road with their vehicles.
“The action of the tipper drivers was preplanned, they behaved like people who have been nursing grudges against our men and they decided to disobey the directive given them on the use of the ever busy Atani road.
“They just wanted to tannish the image of the Navy for the reasons best known to them, but the Navy authority in Onitsha swiftly resolved the disagreement and normalcy has returned. Thank God no causality was recorded.”