There was grief in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday following a horrific accident at the Mabushi Bridge which claimed the lives of Emeka Ehekweme and his family, an incident residents blamed on the aggressive and criminal activities of road touts.
The tragedy has ignited a firestorm of condemnations with residents, motorists and community leaders desperately appealing to the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike and the area council chairmen to immediately eradicate the scourge of ‘agbero’ from Abuja’s major roads.
A fatal collision occurred along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway between Mabushi and Bannex Plaza, a corridor noted for relentless infestation by touts who lay siege on motorists daily.
According to eyewitnesses, a vehicle carrying the family was targeted by a group of touts, known locally as ‘agbero’, who attempted to forcibly extort money from them.
“It was like a scene from a Nollywood movie, but this was tragically real. The touts, about four of them, were chasing the car. They were banging on the windows, shouting.
“In their panic to escape the harassment, the driver lost control. The car swerved violently and collided head-on with an oncoming taxi. The sound was sickening,” recounted Mr. Tunde Osinowo, a civil servant.
The tragedy has served as a devastating catalyst, uniting residents across the FCT in shared grief and mounting anger. For many, this was not an isolated accident but a preventable disaster waiting to happen.
Mr. Emmanuel Ezikiel, a commercial driver who plies the Berger-Mpape route daily, expressed the simmering frustration of countless motorists, describing Mabushi as a jungle full of touts.
“These boys are lawless. If they flag you down and you don’t stop, they chase you. They jump on running vehicles. They see a private car with a family and they see a meal ticket. We have been complaining for years, but no one listens.
“Now, see what their greed has caused. A whole family is gone! FCT minister Wike, please, come to our aid. Let him use the same power he used to clear illegal structures to clear these touts. They are a bigger menace,” he said.
Mrs Aisha Bello, a businesswoman and resident of Jabi, questioned the government’s priorities.
“Every day, I pray for protection driving through that axis. These touts operate in broad daylight with impunity. Where are the security agents?
“Where is the AMAC task force? We pay taxes to the government, yet we cannot drive on our roads without fear for our lives. This is a failure of governance. The council chairmen and the FCT minister must take responsibility. They must put an end to this now, not tomorrow.”
Kingsley Madaki, the senior special assistant on media and publicity to the chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), was quick to distance the council from the perpetrators.
“Presently, our registered task force is undergoing training and not on the road,” he said.
However, residents questioned that if the officially sanctioned task force is not operating, then who are the men in uniform and plain clothes who brazenly extort money from motorists daily with apparent immunity?
Ephraim Chukwuebuka, a trader at Bannex plaza said that the touts often operate with the tacit approval or wilful blindness of local authorities, which he said has long been a source of tension.
“The tragic death of a family of four at Mabushi Bridge is more than a traffic accident, it is a profound indictment of a system of government that has allowed criminality to flourish on its major streets. Motorists are no longer safe in the FCT because of these touts that called themselves task force.
“We residents of the FCT are pleading to the FCT authorities to remove these wicked touts from our roads. Now, the ball is in the court of the minister, Nyesom Wike and the area council chairmen to demonstrate that the safety of citizens is not merely a slogan, but a paramount commitment,” he said.
