Touts shun Soludo’s orders, attack tricycle riders over levies

A group of touts on Sunday descended heavily on an unidentified tricycle operator for refusing to pay park levy.

The incident happened at the popular UNIZIK Temporary Site, Awka, Anambra State.

It was gathered that the tricycle rider refused to pay the fees as demanded by the touts, reminding them that Governor Chukwuma Soludo had announced the ban on the activities of touts during his inaugural address on Thursday.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Frank, said the touts, numbering three, had approached the tricycle operator and asked him to pay them the usual N200.

He said, “The tricycle operator, on hearing that, laughed and asked them to go and look for something else to be doing, as touting has expired in Anambra, except they are the only people who had not heard that Soludo had banned touting in the state.

“But the touts insisted and told him they were not ready for such jokes.”

He added, “His action angered the touts, who did not only seize his foot mat, but also forcefully pulled him out of his tricycle and started throwing punches on his face, while he grabbed and tightly held one of them.”

“However, before people could separate them, the tricycle operator’s face, his cheeks and his mouth were already swollen, while blood was also dropping from his mouth.” he added.

Soludo had, during his inaugural address on Thursday, banned all form of touting and cash payment of taxes in the state.