The Cross River State Government has ordered the temporary suspension of all taxation and enforcement activities affecting commercial tricycle operators, popularly known as Keke in Calabar, the state capital.

The suspension order is coming five days after the government issued the same order on commercial mini bus operators in the Calabar metropolis.

The decision followed a peaceful protest staged on Thursday by commercial keke operators over excessive levies and multiple taxation imposed by various government agencies. The protest led to the blockade of key roads in Calabar.

The demonstration, which started as early as 7:00 a.m., disrupted traffic along major routes, including Calabar Road, Stadium, Barracks Road, Mery Slessor Road leading to the University of Calabar main gate and the busy Watt Market axis, leaving commuters stranded and forcing some businesses to close temporarily.

Speaking during the protest, one of the Keke operators, Mr. Michael Umoh, decried the activities of multiple enforcement bodies on the roads and criticised the use of the police and soldiers to intimidate, harass, and extort operators in the guise of enforcement.

He lamented that Keke operators in the metropolis pay a total of N1,200 daily, including Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, for tickets. “We are also charged N500 before we are allowed to operate in the evenings. We know that of this amount, only N200 goes into government coffers.

“Beyond these, the police harass us on a daily basis and extort N1000 from each keke operator for what they term wrong parking before we are allowed to carry passengers around the popular Watt Market area.

“All we are saying is simple. The taxation is outrageous, and the way and manner of enforcement is barbaric.  We no longer want to belong to any association or union headed by anybody who does not have our interest at heart.”

Another operator, Rachael Etim, recounted an unpleasant encounter with the police on Thursday morning.

“This morning, as I was waiting for the traffic light to change, two policemen accosted me and demanded my driver’s licence, which I presented. Not satisfied with that, they asked for all manner of documents, some of which I have never heard of. When I could not provide them, they demanded as much as N50,000 from me or to park my keke until I could afford it,” she said.

She further claimed that operators are fined between ₦50,000 and ₦75,000 for alleged “wrong parking,” even when they only stopped briefly to drop off passengers. The drivers also accused ticketing officials of extending collection hours beyond stipulated periods.

“Most of us are university graduates, we are into keke operation to eke out a living because of no employment opportunities. Instead of engaging in criminal activities, the government should please intervene before we are put out of work,” he appealed.