Protest: Truck Drivers Block Onitsha Bridge Over Heavy Taxation

Protesting truck drivers on Friday blocked the River Niger Bridgehead in Onitsha, Anambra State causing heavy gridlock in the commercial city.

The drivers noted they were protesting against the state government tax imposition on trailers, lorries, trucks and other vehicles bringing goods into Anambra.

The protest which started in the early hours of Friday led to a total lockdown of the bridge as well as the Enugu-Onitsha, Onitsha- Owerri expressway and all the roads that lead into and exit Anambra through Onitsha.

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The Soludo-led administration had recently announced the payment of a levy of N30,000 for trailers loading and offloading goods in the State. While other vehicles have their own prices, ranging from N25,000 and N20,000.

A driver identified as Odion Omoroge, who spoke to journalist said he drove all through the night from Abuja to Onitsha and was heading to Benin.

He said Onitsha was the only City where he was usually harassed by touts disguised as government officials, just to extort from him.

“The problem with this government as I observe is that it believed that money collected from the people as levies and tax and other revenues are the only money that it will use to work for the people.

“It is not talking about money from the government, and one begins to wonder if Anambra State is not getting any allocation from the Federal government.

“What we see anytime we are coming into the state is terrible.

“Am afraid that one day there may be a blood revolution by the people, against this government, because everything it is doing is at the extreme.

“Touts are everywhere in Onitsha violently collecting money from people, even men and women on uniforms are violently stopping motorists on the roads accusing them of one false traffic offence or the other and violently collecting their car and vehicles key.”

It was, however, learnt that normalcy has returned to the area, as the truck drivers have been convinced to leave the road. Although the roads in Onitsha are still blocked as a result of heavy traffic.