LAGOS SEPTEMBER 8TH (NEWSRANGERS)-There has been respite for both commercial and private motorists in the Abuja city centre following the disappearance of the roadside touts, popularly known as agberos, after the incident that led to the death of a couple.
Abuja Metro reports that the gang, which allegedly claim membership of either the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) or the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), came under heavy condemnation after incident last Wednesday at Mabushi area of Abuja that led to the death of a couple.
It would be recalled that three of the touts reportedly forced their way into the couple’s car near the Beggar roundabout in Abuja.
In their attempt to seize the vehicle, they crashed at the nearby Mabushi flyover bridge, which tragically cost the lives of the couple, identified as Mr. and Mrs. Chikodi Ihekwereme.
The suspects were subsequently rounded up by sympathizers who proceeded to burn two of them to death, while the third person was rescued by police officers and taken to the hospital.
Our reporter, who returned to the scene of the incident yesterday and also visited other popular bus stops, including the Area 1 roundabout, discovered that the gang was nowhere to be found.
They have reportedly disappeared since the day their three colleagues were set ablaze.
Lukman Muhammad, a driver who shuttles between the Zuba, Kubwa expressway, and Area 1 roundabout, said all the touts are now in hiding, with only a few still operating on the outskirts of the city center.
Lukman lamented that the boys were left to operate unhindered for a long time, taxing civil servants and even commercial motorists who parked at bus stops to either drop off or pick up a colleague or passenger.
He said the situation has led to many accidents and damage to the vehicles of their victims, allegedly without a response from security agencies or the FCT authorities.
“But we thank God they are now on the run, and we are able to operate without any such harassment,” he added. Another driver, Jamilu Musa, said that following the incident, all paramilitary officials, including the VIO, FRSC, and even the police, also stayed away from their known checkpoints for about two days, possibly out of fear of public backlash.
“We are so surprised about the development,” he explained. “It was on the third day that a joint security task force was seen going around the major roads in search of these boys, as I learned,” Jamilu added.
RTEAN distances self from roadside touts
Meanwhile, the FCT chapter of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has distanced itself from operating outside any motor park within the city center, let alone having members among the agberos who strike around popular Abuja bus stops.
It would be recalled that the surviving suspect of the three touts, who has been hospitalized at an Abuja hospital, had claimed to be a member of the association.
But in an interview with Abuja Metro yesterday, the chairman of RTEAN in the FCT, Musa Sa’idu Zuba, responded to the allegation by stating that all their members only operate in the designated motor parks within the city center and a few towns within the territory.
He said any of their members must wear the association’s yellow uniform with an identity and membership card that can be easily traced and verified.
He called on security agencies to arrest any person operating on the roadside who claims to be with the group for verification. The RTEAN boss in the FCT also expressed sympathy to the family of the victims and called on the FCT authority to entirely ban roadside operations by motorists by providing adequate motor parks and bus stops at all designated locations in need.
DailyTrust
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