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Economic activities have grounded in the Tamale metropolis following an indefinite strike embarked on by all taxi drivers in the area beginning Monday October 3. The strike was borne out of the detention of four of their members over the weekend. Workers in and around the Tamale metropolis who have no means of transport and are dependent on taxi cabs reported to work late. Equally, majority of basic school pupils whose parents have engaged the services of the taxi drivers either could not go to school or went to school late because of their action. Awal Abukari, one of the striking taxi drivers whose cab has the registration number GT 5135 U told Citi News they would never rescind their decision till their members were released. He condemned the police for detaining those four taxi drivers who he claimed have not committed any crime whatsoever to warrant their detention. According to Awal Abukari, the four detainees were among seven others arrested by police earlier in connection with their protest against the operations of a private company called Umarib Company Limited, which is responsible for towing vehicles for wrong packing on the major streets in the Tamale metropolis. The striking Tamale taxi drivers announced their intention to go on a demonstration ahead of the strike but Citi News gathered that the leadership of the northern regional branch of the GPRTU advised them not to demonstrate, hence their decision to pack their cabs. The last time such a decision was taken, commercial motorbike riders popularly called Okada took over the services of the taxi drivers. The situation was different this time round because the Okada men have conspicuously been missing on the roads as if they were in solidarity with the striking taxi drivers. Attempts to find out from the police what the exact matter has proved futile.