Maduako Igbokwe I Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023
AWKA, Anambra – Members of Tricycle Drivers in Awka Anambra State detained by the Governor Charles Soludo state Anti-touts squad said they were beaten up with 2×2 planks without foods for two days in detention.
Some of the victims who spoke with our reporter in Awka at their Christmas end of year party said that the two days they were detained at the Anambra State Anti Touts squad facility in Onitsha was like hell , saying, they were beaten up every morning with 2×2 planks.
According to them the early beating was christened morning tea by the anti-touts squad.
The vice chairman of the Unizik park who was arrested along others said that they were beaten up like common criminals in the anti-touts camp Onitsha.
“When we got to the Anti-touts squad facility Onitsha, we slept inside their bus and in the morning they used 2×2 planks to beat us , hitting our legs and joints with the planks. They said it was a morning tea for us . After beating us with 2×2 ,they laid us down again under the sun and continued with the beatings. It was when their ‘oga’ came out and ordered them to stop the beatings that they stopped beating us” he said.
According to him,before him and other detained persons,the Anti Touts squad were recruiting Agboro/ Touts and sending them out to places to be collecting money.
“Before me and others they were telling some of the arrested Agboro that they will cloth them with ID cards and they will move them to work at their respective places .
“They told them that nobody will disturb or arrest them again in their pit but that they should be making returns.
“They gave them their phone numbers to call them in case anyone comes to disturbed them. Most of the Anti Touts members are recruited from the touts for them . There is serious problem because touts cannot fight touts ” he said .
Another Keke drivers, Chibueze Nweke said that they stayed two days without food in Anti Touts squad facility in Onitsha .
According to him, though, they did not beat him much but there were some people they broke their legs with 2×2 in the Anti-touts squad facility Onitsha.
He said that if the Anti-touts people are not properly monitored they will destroy many people in Anambra state .
Also the chairman of Keke drivers Unizik pit , Comrade JohnPaul Nnaegbuna said the Anti-touts team has no business coming to their pit because the park is privately owned and the state government gave approved of it and it allowed park owner to collect fee from drivers.
“When these men came inside the park some people were wearing Unified Hybrid Enforcement Team (UHBET)
uniforms while others were wearing state Anti Touts squad SASA. I asked them who are you , they replied that they came to catch Agboro I told them that there are no Agboro at our Park. I told them that everybody here is a Keke driver.
“I told them also that all the people in the park are Keke drivers and we know ourselves one by one .
“It was in the process of discussion, I had wanted to call one of our members Mr Iwunor to come in and beg them that , one of them just pounced on me with knife and cut my finger ,he said I was making calls as if making calls has become a crime.
“It was then that Keke drivers said no you cannot come into our park and start beating our Chairman and others without any justification and they started protecting themselves. Then, they begun to shoot and called for reinforcement and they dealt with every body in the park mercilessly ” he said .
He lamented that the squad beats them and vandalised their vehicles right inside the park,without a just cause,and wondered what could be their fate outside the park.
He appealed to the state government to intervene and repair those vehicles as it is the only means through which these drivers eat and pay their monthly taxes.
He also stated that all those whose vehicles were vandalised are up-to-date in their tax payments,because the park management made sure that every person that loads in the park meets his tax obligation to government.
The chairman said that they are hoping on the government since the deputy governor had visited and promised to address their problems regarding the vandalized vehicles and anti Touts squad brutalization of their members.
The coordinator of Ngozi units,which comprises Unizik pit Mr Collins Ude said the Anti Touts squad demonstrated height of unprofessionalism, untrained and barbarism in their conduct.
He said that if those Anti Touts personnel were trained,they should have known that there is no way 20 persons could be tout in a particular park, noting that the highest number is five.
According to him,there is no single tout at the Unizik park, noting that what ever they are doing in the pit is according to the governor’s instructions.
He said that the only two persons collecting N200 every day are for the owner of the Park for mentenance of the pit.
According to him,the N200 daily pay to the owner of the park was authorized by the government of Anambra State.
“Before these people came for the operation,somebody called me that I should provide guide to them . I said okay,we shall help them to identify the touts .
“I told the person that in the last one year we have been fighting the touts and we drove them away. And my number was sent to the coordinator of anti Touts squad Salomon Chukwuebuka whom I know as Ebuka when he was a driver to Air Vice Marshal Ben Obi, the special adviser to governor Soludo on security matters.
“I never knew he was the person until this issue camp up. When I met him and told him that he and his men did not behave maturely he picked offence and asked me if I can tell him what to do. I also told him that the man’s number was sent him to call me so that we can help you identify and he did not call, possible he knew they were not coming to arrest touts but to disorganize what we have built and
bring back touts to the area” he said .
