Drivers of various articulated vehicles including lorries, tankers and tippers have blocked the Niger Bridgehead in Onitsha in protest.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the protest was triggered by alleged extortion by naval officers operating on the bridge who insisted on collecting N1,000 from the drivers as a bribe.
The drivers, however, decided to block the road on Saturday morning, after a naval officer shot and punctured the tyres of a lorry because its driver refused to pay the N1,000 bribe.
As at 10 am on Saturday, it was learnt that the entire stretch of Onitsha-Enugu expressway was blocked for hours by lorries who protested the treatment of their colleagues.
According to some members of the union who spoke anonymously, “Men of the Nigerian Navy at the Uga junction, Onitsha had an issue with our driver which, they claimed, led to the shooting of his vehicle tyre.
“Our fellow drivers on seeing the development parked their vehicles and requested that the punctured tyre must be replaced, that is why there is protest here.”
At the time of filing this report, some concerned individuals and navy officers were trying to negotiate with the drivers on the need to open the road to other motorists.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune