By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Tipper drivers in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State, on Tuesday took to the road to protest alleged extortion by agents of the state government.

It was gathered that the protest was ignited after tipper drivers who loaded sand in Asaba, Delta State and paid a N2,700 levy were on getting across the Niger river to Onitsha were asked to pay N3,000.

The N3,000 levy was rejected by the tipper driver but the revenue agents insisted, leading to the tipper drivers using their tippers to block the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway and causing heavy gridlock in the process.

It was learnt that all efforts made by the military personnel stationed at the scene of the incident to dismantle the road block proved abortive as their pleas fell on deaf ears.

In his reaction, an executive of the tipper drivers who identified himself as Onodugo Onochie, expressed sadness that they were being extorted in Anambra State even when the roads from where they load the sand were dilapidated.

He said: “Because of the bad roads in Onitsha that damage our vehicles, we resolved to now load sand at Asaba, Delta State to save us from the damages to our vehicles.

“This morning some of us who loaded at Asaba paid N2,700 they demanded from each tipper in a day and on getting to Onitsha end of the Niger bridge, precisely at Uga Junction, adjacent to military checkpoint, some boys stopped us and demanded that we should pay before we leave.

“They said that they distributed the documented information last year December and January and I told them that we were not aware of that.

“They then said we should pay M3,000 and I told them that personally that what I have is N1,000 and they said no and we have no other option than to block the road to end the saga once and for all.

“It is not that we don't want to pay but we want to know how much to pay daily or weekly as the case may be and not each time a tipper passes they collect N3000 from the tipper driver.”

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