Residents Protest Over Fuel Price Hike As ‘Okada’ Riders, ‘Okowa Police’ Clash In Delta

Fracas broke out on Wednesday in Ughelli between commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as ‘Okada’ riders and some uniformed men known as ‘Okowa police’ in Delta State.

Likewise in Warri and Effurun metropolis, commercial tricycle operators, known as ‘Keke riders’, along with some aggrieved women and youths, took to the streets in a peaceful protest to express their displeasure over the scarcity and increase in the price of premium motor spirit, also known as petrol.

The cause of the pandemonium at Otowodo Junction, off Omoruto Lane in Ughelli was as a result of noncompliance from bike riders to stop for checking and pay certain rates to the ‘Okowa police.’

Consequently, in an effort to stop a motorcyclist that was on motion, the rider fell and sustained injuries alongside his passenger with their phones badly smashed beyond repairs.

The enraged ‘okada’ rider started fighting the uniformed man that forcefully stopped his motorcycle immediately he got up with the passenger.

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LEADERSHIP gathered that his colleagues joined in fighting the motorcyclist and this attracted the marketers to join the fight against the men.

An eyewitness, Mr Clinton Oghenero, who described the men on navy blue and black trousers as Okowa’s men, saying they are neither road safety officials or police, as such, they lack the legal right to stop and check motorcyclists.

In a similar development, hundreds of market women, tricycle and motorcycle riders took to the streets in Warri and Effurun in protest, calling on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene and reverse the fuel price hike effected on Tuesday.

Following the protest, most filling stations along the Warri-Sapele Road were closed to motorists on Wednesday as protesters marched through major roads from Deco Road towards Enerhen carrying placards and chanting slogans expressing their frustration and anger over the price hike.

Some of the placards bore inscriptions such as ‘Tinubu, intervene now to alleviate commuters’ suffering’, ‘The fuel price hike is a killer,’ ‘Tinubu, activate Warri and Kaduna refineries without further delay,’ ‘We are suffering in silence,’ amongst others.

The protesters urged Tinubu to take immediate action to address the situation and provide reliefs to Nigerians, while lamenting the economic hardship caused by the unbearable hike in fuel prices, coupled with the scarcity of the commodity.

Commuters were seen trekking to their destinations either as a result of the protest or inability of transporters to get fuel thereby making transportation difficult for commuters.