3 DEAD AS TOUTS AND TRUCK DRIVERS CLASH IN A BID TO STOP EXTORTION

Touts allegedly working for dock workers at TinCan, Lagos, at the weekend killed three truck drivers during a protest to stop extortion and other corrupt practices.

It was gathered that the killings occurred on Friday evening at TinCan Second Gate, when some of the truck drivers insisted that collecting N20,000 bribe to pass trucks directly into the port was unfair.

The touts were said to have opened fire on the drivers who blocked the entrance/exit to the garage to prevent further extortion. It was gathered that while the shooting lasted, a diver identified as Mike, who attempted to jump over a fence in panic, was gunned down while several others were hit by stray bullets.

It was gathered that a police Hilux van was also razed in the crisis that lasted several hours.

One of the measures taken by the Presidential Taskforce on Apapa gridlock about five months ago was to make all trucks going into Tincan First or Second gate wait at the garage until they are signaled to come in.

This strategy which was emplaced by Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, worked well until dock workers, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) officials and Port Police devised a means to boycott it.

Some of the drivers spoke saying that they were made to spend weeks at the garage while those who could readily part with N20,000 or N25,000 were called into the port.