An unidentified tricyclist, received the beating of his life from a gang of touts in Awka, Anambra State capital, for refusing to pay park fee.
The cyclist driver resisted the touts on the ground that the new Governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has banned touting in the state.
The incident, which happened at the popular UNIZIK Temporary Site, Awka, created a dramatic scene that led to a gridlock.
According to an eyewitness, who identified himself as Frank Akpan, the touts, numbering up to three accosted the tricyclist and requested him to pay them the usual ₦200 each tricyclist pays at the pit (park) before his first loading from Temp. Site to Ngozi Estate every day.
He said “However, the tricyclist, on hearing that, laughed and mocked them, and asked them to go and look for something else doz.
“He taunted them that touting has expired in Anambra, except they were the only people who had not heard that Soludo has banned touting in the state.
“But the touts insisted and told him they were not ready for such jokes. One of them also told the tricyclist to call Soludo and tell him to go to his hometown, Isuofia and implement such unrealistic policy, as such policy is not for them.”
Frank also added that the touts boasted to have survived many of such policies during Obiano’s administration, and wondered why Soludo thinks he can achieve what Obiano couldn’t achieve in eight years in just m less than one week in office.
He said as the touts were still speaking, when the tricyclist told them their problem was illiteracy and ignorance, and then started his tricycle to leave, without giving them the money they were requesting.
These, he said, angered the touts, who did not only seize his foot mat , but also forcibly pulled him out of his tricycle and started throwing punches on his face, while he grabbed and tightly held one of them on the private part.
However, before people could separate them, the tricyclist’s face, his cheeks and all his mouth regions were already swollen, while blood was also dropping from his mouth.
Recall that Gov. Soludo had, during his inauguration on Thursday, banned all form of touting and cash payment of taxes in the state.
This however, is obviously yet to be fully implemented, as some touts and self-acclaimed revenue agents still parade themselves and harass innocent people to make one payment or the other.
A young man in his late twenties was also spotted yesterday, Friday, at that same UNIZIK Junction harassing some of the women who were hawking mango in area, forcing them to buy ‘daily ticket’ which he claimed to have been authorised by the state government.
Some of the victims said the young man and his ticket were confirmed to be illegal by a senior staff at the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service sometime last year.
They called on the newly-sworn-in Governor of the state, Prof. Soludo to come to their rescue with immediate implementation of the new policy against touting in the state.