The Kaneshie Division of the Motor, Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) is facing allegations of operating a daily extortion scheme that targets drivers along the busy Mallam-Kaneshie-Accra road.
According to multiple drivers who spoke anonymously with Ghanaian RADAR, officers routinely position themselves under the Kaneshie footbridge or the one-way route to the police station, using vehicle inspections as a pretext to demand money.
While the drivers acknowledged the need for roadworthiness checks, they claimed the process is routinely abused.
This paper gathered that officers often invent faults with vehicles that are in good condition to create grounds for soliciting bribes.
“Sometimes the MTTD officers try to find fault with your vehicle even when it is clear you don’t have any issues,” one driver stated, describing the practice as a daily frustration for both private and commercial drivers.
Furthermore, Ghanaian RADAR’s investigation established that commercial motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada riders, are not spared from the exploitation.
This paper found that officers sometimes collect either GHS 50 or GHS 100 from Okada riders without citing any offence.
Similarly, this paper gathered that MTTD officers at both the Amasaman District Command and Anyaa Police Station in Awoshie have also been extorting money from motorists who ply the Afuaman-Ablekuma Curve and Ablekuma Curve-Baah Yard routes.
In the case of the Ablekuma Curve-Baah Yard stretch, Ghanaian RADAR observed that the Anyaa Police Station MTTD officers are strategically positioned to pounce on and exploit motorists.
