The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) is to inaugurate a special task force to apprehend touts and extortionists in the area council.
Mr Kingsley Madaki, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to AMAC Chairman, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
A tragic incident occurred recently at the Mabushi axis in Abuja, involving a couple, their son, and two touts.
According to reports, the victim, Mr Emeka Ehekweme, and his wife were driving in a Toyota Highlander when they were chased by three touts, also known as “Nero.”
The touts forcefully entered the couple’s vehicle and struggled with the driver over control of the steering wheel.
The vehicle lost control, struck a parked Mazda, and somersaulted into a bridge pillar, resulting in the deaths of the family and two of the touts
The incident has sparked public outrage, with residents calling for stricter enforcement of laws to protect citizens from similar violent attacks.
In response to the tragic incident, Madaki condemned the activities of the touts and expressed the council’s condolences to the family of the victims.
He added that the hoodlums were not AMAC staff members or agents working for the council.
He, however, said that the council was taking immediate action to combat such criminal activities in the city centre.
“The executive chairman Mr Christopher Maikalangu has decided to inaugurate a strong taskforce to arrest anybody impersonating the AMAC and extorting money from motorists. These people are not AMAC staff.
“The operation will be done in Area 1 Roundabout, Area 2, Berger underbridge, Jabi, and Banex.
“We are going to fish them out. We will take them to a mobile court and prosecute them immediately; they will find themselves in Kuje correctional centre,” he said.
Madaki also expressed concerns about other unauthorised groups impersonating officials, officials from various agencies, including the FCTA Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
He also clarified that AMAC does not issue motor park licenses, adding, “it is the FCT Transport Secretariat that issue the licence, supervise and have the power to supervise and control them.”(NAN)