03 January 2012, Sweetcrude, PORT HARCOURT—Labour unions and civil society groups in Rivers State have been warned against embarking on protest marches and demonstrations against the recent removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
Describing protest marches and demonstrations without police permit as illegal, Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr Suleiman Aba, Monday, said Police was not against strike actions but that people should not take to the streets without a permit.
Meanwhile, commuters in the state have lamented the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy on transportation system in the state.
Investigations Monday, showed that transportation costs went up by over a hundred percent on almost all routes in the state capital. Some commuters said they paid twice the usual fare from Mile 3 to Mile 1 market, a distance which used to attract N50 for buses before the subsidy removal.
Fares on all the routes in the state capital have gone up by 100 percent. Commuters in the state, pleaded with the Federal Government to reverse its decision on the removal of subsidy.