Commotion As Traders Attack KAI Officials Over N50 Bribe In Egbeda





Motorists and onlookers along Egbeda bus stop were left stunned after angry traders yesterday, Wednesday, September 20, attacked officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) for allegedly demanding N50 bribe from traders.
During the attack which occurred at the Egbeda bus stop, the traders vandalized the vehicle (Black Maria) brought by the officials. The traders also released all the traders arrested by the KAI officials kept in the vehicle, InsideMainland learnt.
According to PM News, the KAI officials were reportedly fond of harassing and extorting money from the traders under various guises.
The traders reportedly trailed the KAI officials were trailed by traders from Iyana Ipaja to Egbeda where the officials were attacked.
Prior to the attack, the officials had arrested many traders and seized their wares for not paying them bribe money, a source revealed.
Speaking on the incident, one of the traders, Bolaji Ayorinde told PMNEWS that he was selling his wares when KAI officials approached him for the daily N50 collected from traders.
“When the KAI official approached me, I gave him my N50 but another trader refused to pay the money because he has not sold anything,” he narrated.
He added that: “Trouble started when the KAI officials arrested him and carried his wares, other traders got angry and attacked the officials. Everybody was fed up with the illegal collection of N50 from traders who are trying to make ends meet.”
A food vendor in the area disclosed that: “KAI officials will come to your shop and demand for rice and beans and they will not pay. In some cases, they come to demand uncooked rice, beans, garri, corn, and others from us. If you refused to give them, they will arrest you and keep you in their Black Maria for long hours before taking you to their office in Alausa where they will extort money from you.
“The harassment is just too much. That was why we joined the mob to attack them. I want the government to call these people to order. They are very wicked. They don’t care and they are thieves. The government should look into their activities and remove the bad eggs among them.”
Another trader, Kemi Towobola, in her own account of the incident said the traders got angry and attacked the KAI officials because they nearly caused the death of a hawker they were chasing. ”If not that the people shouted, a trailer driver would have crushed the boy to death. This was what infuriated the traders and they attacked the KAI men,” she said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *