••• Police Arrest Gang Leader, Others Over Attack
The Anambra State Drivers Welfare Association (DWA) has condemned an attack on a human rights activist, comrade Osita Obi for supporting Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s policy to stop touting and illegal revenue collection in the state.
Obi is the Convener of Recover Nigeria Project and Coordinator of Tricycle Drivers Forum in the state.
The Group Chairman, Comrade Adindu Opara, who condemned the attack on Obi called on the relevant security agencies to arrest and prosecute that who carried out the dastardly act.
“Those who beat up the activist for fighting criminality should be made to face the wrath of the law. I was once beaten up by these touts and my clothes torn at City Park Upper Iweka Onitsha and they are still there operating” He said
He lamented that the touts and illegal revenue agents reportedly sacked are still harassing motorists in the state.
Adindu said, “They are still around in their different duty posts extorting the motorists and sometimes rob the passengers.
“As we ply Onitsha/Awo/Owerri road, government should know we are a registered union and not touts, but my members are affected by the clamp down on touts and illegal revenue agents and we want Soludo to differentiate the wheat from the chaff.
“We should be allowed to operate, I commend Governor Soludo for fighting them and I want him to set up a monitoring team that will arrest these bad elements, prosecute them”
“These touts and illegal revenue agents are the major problems as far as transport business is concern in the state. Government should hand over sale of transport tickets to us as professionals and not to these touts.”
Also speaking, Chairman of Keke Drivers in Onitsha, Chief Emeka Ohaekelem, who was among the tricycle operators at Alex Ekwueme stadium when they stormed the place said, “the touts are well armed when they attacked us.”
“We were planning to meet with the Governor when they stormed the place in two tricycles and started attacking us because we are helping Soludo to stop them.
The activist who led the Keke operators was the target, they almost killed him if not for quick police intervention on a tip-off”
“These touts and fake revenue operators are still in Onitsha extorting us and passengers and we commend the Governor on this war against them and urge him not to relent.
“We are always at war with us over multiple levies. They damage our tricycles and beat up our members if they refuse to pay”
The activist and tricycle operators in the state, were, gathered at Alex Ekwueme stadium, Awka, to meet with the governor at Government House, Awka, at about 9am Wednesday to commend him for his fight against touts and illegal revenue agents and to express their resolve to support him in the fight when they were attacked.
A few minutes after 9am, as they were about departing to Government House, suspected armed cultists, believed to have been sponsored, stormed the venue in two tricycles and beat the activist to coma even as three others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The activist was rushed to Amaku University teaching hospital Awka where he was placed on danger list.
Confirming incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, (DSP), said the leader of the attackers, one Collins Ozojiofor and few others were arrested.