Irate taxi drivers set up bonfires and blocked major roads in and around Abuja’s Wuse Market yesterday protesting the brutalization of their members by security operatives attached to the FCT task force.
It was learnt that three drivers were beaten up, thrown into security vans and taken to the FCT police command headquarters at Garki II, Abuja.
Witnesses, most of whom were taxi drivers, accused the task force comprising police, military, DSS, Immigration, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), of always extorting money from the cab drivers.
A taxi driver, Ameachi Igwe, said he was at the scene when the whole fracas started.
“What happened was that an old man parked his painted taxi close to the traffic light junction by Wuse Market on Herbert Macaulay Way and was eating nearby. Along the line, one of the task force members in mufti entered the old man’s car and demanded for his car keys and when they started arguing, I tried to intervene and asked the officer to come down from the car and identify himself properly. Then his colleague came from nowhere and I sighted about four of their Hilux vans coming towards me so I ran and they started shooting in the air.
“It was then one of our colleagues, Tony, as you can see I am holding his palm slippers, I was the one who called him because he was somewhere eating. The task force team caught him and beat him to coma and shot in the air sporadically. I don’t know if the bullet hit him but they threw him into their van and took him away.”
The angry protesters demanded that the task force should be disbanded, accusing members of the team of extortion and brutality.
Movement was impeded on major highways in the city centre connecting to Wuse, Berger and Mabushi as motorists spent hours getting out of the jam.
On a visit to the police command, those arrested were seen squatting on the ground in front the building. Their lips were swollen up with clots of bloods on their lips and noses.
The FCT police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, declined to comment on the incident, saying the commissioner of police will issue a statement on the incident.
A police officer on the task force team, whose name tag identified him as Yusuf Yaro, said the taxi drivers attempted snatching a rifle from an immigration officer who was on the same team.
NO DEATH IN WUSE MARKET: DISREGARD ANY RUMOUR ON DEATH FROM TASK TEAM OPERATIONS TODAY. .
This is to request the good public to please disregard the rumours circulating that there has been a casualty in the efforts of an FCTA Task Team to restore sanity on Abuja roads and environs today, November 9, 2017.
Indeed, the true state of affairs is that two unauthorized vehicles were arrested during the routine operations of the Ministerial Joint Task Team on the Enforcement of the Ban and the Restriction of Unpainted Taxis, Unauthorized Vehicles and another sundry public nuisance in the FCT.
As result, it was reported that some touts attacked the members of the task team and were arrested. The arrested vehicles and persons are with the police currently undergoing further investigation. Calm has returned to the Wuse Market after the minor incident.
No doubt the rumour was spilled out by persons who thrive in illegalities to blackmail the task team. First, they said some one was shot and he died. When that could not stick, they brought out another blackmail chip of extortion.
The FCT Administration thanks members of the public for their understanding and support in the efforts of the Administration to ensure sanity our roads, check the use of illegal taxis, unauthorised parks and criminal activities especially in the ember months etc.
It solicits the partnership of residents in the activities of the Ministerial Joint Task Team on the Enforcement of the Ban and the Restriction of Unpainted Taxis and Unauthorized Vehicles and another sundry public nuisance within and around FCT.
The FCT police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, declined to comment on the incident, saying the commissioner of police will issue a statement on the incident.
A police officer on the task force team, whose name tag identified him as Yusuf Yaro, said the taxi drivers attempted snatching a rifle from an immigration officer who was on the same team.
NO DEATH IN WUSE MARKET: DISREGARD ANY RUMOUR ON DEATH FROM TASK TEAM OPERATIONS TODAY. .
This is to request the good public to please disregard the rumours circulating that there has been a casualty in the efforts of an FCTA Task Team to restore sanity on Abuja roads and environs today, November 9, 2017.
Indeed, the true state of affairs is that two unauthorized vehicles were arrested during the routine operations of the Ministerial Joint Task Team on the Enforcement of the Ban and the Restriction of Unpainted Taxis, Unauthorized Vehicles and another sundry public nuisance in the FCT.
As result, it was reported that some touts attacked the members of the task team and were arrested. The arrested vehicles and persons are with the police currently undergoing further investigation. Calm has returned to the Wuse Market after the minor incident.
No doubt the rumour was spilled out by persons who thrive in illegalities to blackmail the task team. First, they said some one was shot and he died. When that could not stick, they brought out another blackmail chip of extortion.
The FCT Administration thanks members of the public for their understanding and support in the efforts of the Administration to ensure sanity our roads, check the use of illegal taxis, unauthorised parks and criminal activities especially in the ember months etc.
It solicits the partnership of residents in the activities of the Ministerial Joint Task Team on the Enforcement of the Ban and the Restriction of Unpainted Taxis and Unauthorized Vehicles and another sundry public nuisance within and around FCT.
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