Extortion traps: How policemen, govt agents turn Lagos roads to daily nightmares

Yomi Durojaye 

A viral video circulated on Instagram on Friday showing a motorist lamenting as men in police uniforms seized her car for allegedly driving on the Bus Rapid Transit lane in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.

Driving on the BRT corridor is a serious traffic offence in Lagos State that attracts a fine of N70,000.

Extortion traps: How policemen, govt agents turn Lagos roads to daily nightmares

In the viral clip, the officers tied the woman’s vehicle to a van and attempted to tow it.

Nearly in tears, the motorist pleaded with Nigerians to intervene and stop the officers from removing her car.

“I was not on the BRT lane! I am begging you. I will die! This motor cannot tow my vehicle. I am begging the whole of Nigeria to help me!” she cried.

Her pleas, however, fell on deaf ears as one of the officers was heard ordering a driver to proceed with towing the car.

Still, the woman stood her ground.

“This motor cannot tow my vehicle. I am not on the BRT lane. My daughter’s convocation is today! Officers, you are wicked. What is my offence?” she screamed.

Netizens, who reacted to the video, claimed there was no sign indicating that the road was designated for BRT buses.

“This is my area. There is nothing she can do. The day it happened to us, I begged these people endlessly with my baby on my back. But when it was getting late, nobody had to tell us to pay N70,000—we even had to borrow the money. It was really a painful experience. Honestly, there is no signpost there,” a netizen, identified as @dbdelight_snacks, wrote.

Observers noted that the woman’s ordeal exemplifies how officers, believed to be from the police, the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, and other non-state actors, exploit the absence of clear road signs to make life difficult for motorists and private vehicle owners in Lagos daily.

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that some of the hotspots for extortion in the state include bus terminals around Ikorodu, Oshodi, Obalende, Yaba, Oyingbo, Mile 2, the Aswani area/7&8 on Airport Road, Anthony, and certain sections of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, including Ile Epo and Pleasure bus stops.

A visit to some of the locations on Thursday showed the absence of road signs distinguishing the lanes designated for BRT buses from those meant for other vehicles.

Despite the missing road signs, officers in police uniforms were observed stopping vehicles on the unmarked roads for traffic violations.

According to residents, visitors and people who may not be familiar with Lagos routes often mistakenly drive into the BRT lanes. Such drivers are allegedly extorted by security operatives.

Some activists argued that the absence of proper signposts has fueled extortion on many roads in the state. They noted that unmarked BRT lanes, one-way roads, and diverted routes have become traps for unsuspecting travellers.

A journalist cum activist, Segun O’Law, launched a campaign on Tuesday at Super Bus Stop, Oke Odo, in the Agege Local Government Area of the state in response to outcry over police extortion in the community.

In a video posted by O’Law on social media and seen by our correspondent, there is no warning sign for motorists to steer clear of the BRT lane.

While Segun was decrying how drivers usually fell victim to extortionate state agents, a motorist was captured driving into the forbidden side of the road.

After being warned, the driver reversed and took the other side of the road.

“A victim recently told me that he and two friends were driving in a convoy, following one another. The police arrested all three at the same time, collecting N70,000 each—N210,000 in total. This happened less than a month ago, and we receive reports like this daily. We got fed up and realised this seemed like a deliberate trap for unsuspecting commuters and drivers.

Source: Punch newspaper