Douala: Bonaberi truck drivers rise against constant police harassment

Truck drivers in Bonaberi, Douala this morning took to the streets in their numbers, to denounce constant police harassment and extortion.

To these drivers, the presence of excess checkpoints both in and out of residential neighbourhoods is serving as a major stumbling block to their functioning properly.

Talking to MMI, one of the drivers said: ” The truck drivers came out in numbers to say they don’t want too many police checkpoints in the quarter because there is too much restriction on our ability to work properly.”

He added, ” You go to the highway, you meet checkpoints. You come to the quarter, you see checkpoints all over. So we came out to say we don’t want all these checkpoints.”

“We don’t want controls in quarters! No control in quarters!,” the angry truck drivers could be heard shouting in an exclusive video gotten by MMI.

In Cameroon, these police checkpoints are widely known for their extortionate practice of collecting huge amounts from both drivers and passengers under unreasonable pretexts.

The drivers are therefore calling on the government to come to their rescue by limiting the number of police checkpoints both on the highway and completely banning those in residential neighbourhoods.

By Amina Hilda