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From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Hundreds of drivers who ply Nnewi-Onitsha expressway, yesterday, caused traffic jam along the road as they protested the death of their member, Mr Vincent Chukwujekwu, who allegedly died after being attacked by touts in Onitsha, for refusing to pay them N800.00.
The drivers, who expressed deep anger when they took the body of the deceased to Akwudo mortuary, Nnewi, were shouting “no more agboros (touts) in Onitsha and Nnewi”.
A mass transit owner and the Managing Director, Oha-na-eze Mass Transit Limited, Mr Justin Anyadike, under whose platform the deceased shuttle bus, Awk 78 ZQ, was registered, said the attackers never listened to late Chukwujekwu’s plea that he had no money at the time he was attacked.
“We are surprised that the agboros are still troubling our drivers when Governor Charles Soludo has banned them from revenue collection. Late Mr Chukwujekwu’s bus had an engine problem and he had to sell a portion of his land to raise money to buy a new engine. He replaced the engine on Saturday and decided to test-run the vehicle on Sunday, to make little money, having spent heavily to fix the engine.
“The agboros on Onitsha-Owerri road stopped him that Sunday and asked him to pay N800.00 and he said he didn’t have it at that moment. They started beating him. Those agboros work for some people, the governor and the Commissioner for Transport know that.
“After that attack, his fellow drivers rushed him to a hospital where he died, and we later brought him to Akwudo Mortuary, from where we are taking his body to the Police Area Command, Onitsha; and if we are not satisfied, we will take the body to Government House, Awka,” he said.
He explained that the deceased, from Utuh in Nnewi South Local Government Area, was a father of six, who are still in their tender ages.
One of the drivers, who gave his name as CY, said that on that Sunday, the deceased came to him to report the incident and was bleeding profusely as a result of a sharp object which the attackers used to hit him on the head.
He said the deceased told him he had promised to pay the N800.00 to the touts on his next trip, since that was his first trip after being out of business for a while, but they refused to let him go.
It was gathered that the drivers pay N800.00 daily to the touts outside N3,300.00 they pay to the state government every week. It was also alleged that the drivers paid N1,000 each time they loaded either in Onitsha or Nnewi on a daily basis.
The drivers insisted that Governor Soludo must sack the touts from revenue collection or work in synergy with them, adding that they could show the governor how best to do away with the touts.
