There is growing tension which may soon snowball in a chaotic situation in Warri and its environs following the ongoing protest by commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as Keke riders.
The protest, which began on Monday, NewsNet Nigeria has learned, followed the jacking up of the fee for the profiling/revalidation of Keke riders in Delta State to N12,500.
The state government had recently introduced and implemented the profiling/revalidation of Keke riders as part of measures to curb security challenges associated with their operations such as robbery and kidnapping across the state.
A dependable source told this medium that in implementing the profiling/revalidation of Keke riders, the state government, through the Ministry of Transport, perked the cost, which is a once-off payment at N7,500 covering Identity Card, Sticker/Back Code and Reflective Jacket.
With no respite on Monday, most Keke operators in the Warri area on Tuesday continued the protest against the hike and withdrew their services.
Our Correspondent, who drove through major routes in Warri and Effurun, reports that Keke riders who were seen conveying passengers on Airport Road, Ajamoagha, Okere, Estate, Okumagba Avenue and other routes were stopped and harassed to overload their passengers.
There were ugly scenes at the popular Edjeba and Cinema site junctions as well as Angle Park roundabout, where some of the protesting motorcycle operators were seen violently attempting to push over the Keke of their colleagues with their passengers for failing to comply with the protest.
Particularly at Edjeba junction on Airport Road, a team of policemen was sighted trying to prevent the situation from going violent.
Most private car owners were taken aback by the protest and frightened as they drove through some of the spots where tensions were building up as a result of the protest.
Efforts to get comments from the Delta State Commissioner for Transport, Onoriode Agofure were unsuccessful as calls put across to his MTN mobile line kept giving the busy tone.
Also, when contacted on the phone, the President of the Delta State Commercial Motorcycle & Tricycle Association (COMTOA), Chief Godday Obi-Nzete, said he would call back and declined any comment.
