7 injured, 11 vehicles destroyed as Anambra taskforce clashes with tricyclists

Anambra State Anti Touts Squad has reportedly brutalised seven commercial tricyclists and destroyed 11 vehicles in Awka, the state capital.

It was learnt that three of the brutalised victims were receiving treatment in the hospitals.

Daily Trust gathered that the Anti Touts Squad had stormed Unizik keke park and brutalised seven members of Anambra Keke Drivers Forum (AKDF) .

One of the drivers at the Unizik park by Okpuno-Obyokoye, Mr Enerst Iwunor, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the taskforce men came in a commando style and started beating them up.

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According to him, the squad came and arrested some of his members, alleging that they were louts collecting money from drivers.

He said that the park is a government approved private park, charging a service fee to keke operators.

He said, “When they came inside the park, we told them that we were Keke drivers, not touts (louts). They said they came with three Keke drivers who claimed they were touts in our park collecting money. We told them no, they are not touts but Keke drivers. They descended on us and started beating everybody at the park. They were shooting guns as if they were confronting armed robbers.

“They also used knives to attack us. In the process of attacking us they broke 11 windscreens of tricycles, injured more than eight drivers and took some of our members to their office in Onitsha. Four of the brutalised persons are still in the hospital now.”

Iwunor stated that some of the arrested members were released after paying between N3,000 and N13,000.

He called on the government to urgently caution the squad against harassing Keke drivers in the state.

“We are calling on the Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, to do something before the Anti Touts squad kills Keke drivers in Anambra State. “We are law-abiding citizens, paying our taxes as and when due. These people are representing the government but what they did yesterday (Wednesday) was horrible and unfortunate,” he said.

He stated that the association would make sure that the squad pay for the damaged windscreens.

One of the brutalised victims, Mr Obodo Emmanuel, said he was just inside the park when the taskforce men suddenly arrived and started beating everybody.

Iwunor said they were operating in a private park approved by the government, adding that they only collect N200 from each Keke every day.

Reacting, the coordinator of Anambra State Anti Touts Squad, Mr Salomon Chukwuebuka, said they were on normal patrol when they ran into some tlouts extorting money from motorists and they ran into the park.

According to him, when they ran into the park, the hoodlums followed them and started attacking, saying they were not louts.

“We were not looking for the Keke drivers, rather touts whom we met at the place collecting money from them. When we reached the place, they stopped us because we came in Keke and two of the touts demanded money and we arrested one and the second person ran into the park and we followed him into the park, they started attacking us with bottles. It was their attack that caused me to call for reinforcement.

“I led the operation, they attacked us with bottles and hit one of my men with a stick and he fell. What do they want? The same people who are complaining about extorting money from them are the same people some of them are protecting. I don’t know what they want,” he said.