Although the nation’s capital, Abuja, is known for its beauty and serenity, beneath these lies a menace that has become a nightmare for motorists and passengers alike.
Touts in Abuja, brandishing identity cards of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), have gained notoriety for harassing, intimidating and extorting unsuspecting victims at major bus stops and on highways in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Places such as Area 3, Area 10, Banex Junction, Berger Roundabout and Wuse Market, have become
hotspots for these touts who seem to operate with impunity.
Their modus operandi is to invade vehicles, often blocking the road and surrounding the car, removing the backseat and demanding that the driver pay a huge sum of money, usually not less than N20,000, for the vehicle to be released.
Drivers and passengers unfortunate enough to encounter these touts share harrowing tales of their experiences.
“I was driving my family to the park on a Saturday morning and parked by the service lane between Area 3 and Area 1 Bridge to make a call. That was when these touts blocked the road and surrounded my vehicle. The first thing they did was to collect my car key.
“I felt a bit relieved when I saw a Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), thinking he would come to my rescue but I was shocked when he told me, ‘Oga, don’t drag with them; they are in charge of this area.’ They took me to where they called their office under a tree at Area 1 Park, where Lugbe and Kuje passengers board their vehicles.
“They showed me their price list of offences and demanded that I pay N25,000 for wrong parking, claiming that I had violated some traffic rule. I tried to explain that I had done nothing wrong, but they would not listen. I had to part with N15,000 to free my vehicle,” he said.
Another driver, who simply identified herself as Mrs Mary, recounted a similar experience. “I was dropping off a friend at Area 3 when these touts pounced on my vehicle. They claimed that I had parked in a no-parking zone, which was not true.
“They demanded that I pay N18,000, and when I refused, they threatened to damage my vehicle. I had to call a friend who intervened before they would let me go,” she said.
Passengers are not spared either. “I was travelling from Lagos to Abuja and had to drop off at Berger Roundabout. As I was about to disembark, these touts rushed into the vehicle, claiming that the driver had not paid some sort of tax.
“They demanded that we all pay N5,000 each, or else they would not allow the vehicle to move. It was a traumatic experience and I had to part with my hard-earned money to avoid any trouble,” said an FCT resident, Mr Emmanuel Useni.
The activities of these touts have not only caused financial hardship for motorists and passengers but have also created a sense of insecurity and fear.
“I am afraid to drive in Abuja because you do not know where to park without being harassed by touts. You never know when they will pounce on you and demand money. It is as if they have a license to extort from innocent people,” a private car owner, Ms Comfort, said.
The FCT and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) authorities have been criticised for not doing enough to check the excesses of the touts.
When contacted, a senior staff member at the FCT Transport Secretariat, who preferred anonymity, stated that the office was aware of the problem and was working to address it.
“Our secretariat has received several complaints about the activities of these touts and we are taking steps to address the issue.
“The FCT has increased the presence of security personnel in areas prone to these activities and is working with the leadership of the NURTW to ensure that their members do not engage in such practices,” he said.
Additionally, the senior special assistant on media and publicity to the AMAC chairman, Kingsley Madaki, said the council had received reports of touts extorting motorists but asserted that these touts are not council staff.
“Those hoodlums on the roads are not AMAC staff. The chairman has said that whenever such people are seen harassing individuals, the police should be called to arrest them. We have arrested some in the past and they often claim to operate under FCT, DOAS or the Transport Secretariat.
“Our staff are not on the road because they are well-trained; they are not touts like those who harass and extort drivers. We do not have any of our staff harassing people. Sometimes people misunderstand these NURTW hoodlums for AMAC staff and it is not so,” he said.
However, many residents are sceptical about the government’s commitment to addressing the issue. “We have heard promises before but nothing seems to have changed. These touts continue to operate with impunity and it seems like the government is not serious about addressing the issue,” said a motorist, Hassan Hussein.
A member of the NURTW, Sunday Sule, denied that their members were involved in the extortion racket on major roads in the FCT, admitting that they were not aware of such activities.
“We have not received any reports of our members engaging in such conduct. However, I will try to reach out to our leadership and if what you are saying is true, I assure you that our leaders will work with the authorities to address the issue and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” he said.
Despite the denials, many residents believe that the NURTW is complicit in the activities of the touts.
A civil servant in the Federal Ministry of Education, Donald Iyobosa, said he had been a victim of the touts at Area 1, who showed him their NURTW ID cards.
“It is hard to believe that NURTW is not aware of what’s going on. These touts are using NURTW identity cards to extort people. It’s clear that they have the backing of the union.
“I have been a victim of their harassment and it was not a funny experience at all. I dropped a colleague at Area 1, and before I knew it, three of the touts entered my car and told me that I had been arrested for wrong parking. I ended up bailing my car for N15,000,” he said.
An Uber driver, Mohammed Yusuf, lamented that the activities of the Abuja touts have negatively impacted the economy, forcing many drivers to increase their prices to account for the demands of the touts.
“We have had to raise our transport fares to cover the money we have to pay these touts. It is affecting our bottom line and making it difficult for us to operate,” he said.
He appealed to the FCT authorities to take a decisive action on the matter.
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