Lagos Lastma

When I got to Lagos newly in 2015, my sister gave me the basic rules of staying or moving around town, but forgot to tell me about the 'bridge rule '🙄🙄😏. The one that states that you must climb the bridge, whether it's far from you or not. That was how this wucked uniformed men arrested me and put me in their van at oshodi-under-bridge. Started telling me I will have to pay a certain amount to be released, I was shocked. I argued I was new in town and didn't even know a law like that existed, and they said 'ignorance is not an excuse'. Like seriously?🙆‍♀️..
I was angry eh, and I was supposed to meet a friend there at the time. I just relax for car, sun too much sef and my friends was still far so free shade 😏🙄🙄. The ladies were kept at the front seat of the van, while the guys were bundled to the back, and they made it sound like we were supposed to be grateful for being kept in special corner 😏🙄, make I hear. I watched as they 'hustled' for their unfortunate customers as if this was business. It was business to them I guess. Some of them didn't wear uniforms too that's why it was easy for them to get their targets. When one came to drag me, I even thought he was a broad daylight thief sef and was already opening my eyes and shouting he should leave me alone. Asheee na to carry me go van.😒😒
So my friend came around and started to call me. I told him I was in the van at the bridge, can't remember their names again sef.
No be lastma abi? 🤔 🤔
He came and just met one of them, negotiated like it was a normal thing and paid before they let me go. I was still running my mouth and asking him why he paid. I thought it was against the law or something, and he explained that it was against the law to cross the road when there's a bridge there in Lagos. Hian. I didn't get the memo na 😏.
Now my kid sis just had the same experience and was 'cheated' out of her little cash. She's new too and no one gave her the heads up about this. It's paining me😐😣.

Is this right? Abi it has become a norm and everybody is now cool with it and letting these guys extort someone unnecessarily. Nobody feels the need to challenge this act?
Please I need to know if this is part of the law or something. There should be banners or something at strategic points around these bridges,  to tell new comers or unsuspecting victims about what to do when in Lagos, and then more like a first time warning of sorts. Without having to extort money from them.
Me I feel this is extortion though, I may be wrong.