“Police harassment, frequent ticketing, multiple check points are reasons for our protest” Bike riders union.
Jonathan B. Omaru
Bike riders in Bonthe stormed the police station in Mattru Jong in protest and destroyed properties. Following their four days strike in Bonthe district, stakeholders in Bonthe tried to halt the situation to sanity but to no avail.The bike riders damaged two stationary vehicles, office windows and the fence where arrested bikes were parked.
Police fired tear gas canisters which dispersed the striking bike riders. The police are currently raiding Mattru Jong and other parts of the district of bikes that were forcefully taken out from custody. One of the riders, Foday Joshua said his two weeks old bike was parked at his house when a police vehicle stopped and forcefully carried it away.
“They forcefully carried my bike, damaged its head and the tank with an axe to refuel it and took it to the police station”, said Foday Joshua. Joshua told Mountain Waves Blog that he had paid for his license some two weeks ago but the license has not been provided yet by the authorities. The paramount chief of Jong chiefdom, Hon. Alhaji Alie Badara Sheriif (iii) in an engagement with the riders after the riot referred to them as relevant partners to the society with potentials.
The paramount chief said, the checkpoints will be reduced from ten to three, minor road offences fine will be reduced from Le 100,000 to Le 30,000, and the issuance of tickets will be suspended until further discussions are held with the traffic police and wardens. He called on the riders to report their grievances to stakeholders if they were not pleased with the negotiation than resulting into a riotous conduct.
The civil society chairperson Bonthe, Joseph D. Sivalie referred to the riot as unfortunate action for the riders and the community which is facing transportation problems. The bike rider’s union accepted the suggestions of the paramount chief and agreed to later apologize to the public.
As at press time, negotiations are still ongoing as the dozens of bike riders have not resume work yet causing a headache to movement in Bonthe district, except for the riverine areas. Frequent harassment of riders by the police and wardens, delay in the processing of their licenses, frequent issuing of tickets, multiple check points, plus better shelter for parking arrested motor bikes away from rain and sunshine are the key grievances that ignited their strike action. They called on the authorities to address them soonest.