A couple died in an auto crash in Abuja yesterday when they were chased by roadside touts, popularly known as agbero.
It was learnt that one of the touts also died in the incident.
The crash happened on the Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway between Mabushi and Bannex, an area known for the activities of roadside touts.
Witnesses said the accident occurred when the touts attempted to hijack the couple’s car.
A witness, who simply gave his name as Obina, said the vehicle rammed into a taxi when two of the touts jumped into the moving vehicle and attempted to get hold of the steering.
He said the couple and one of the touts died at the scene.
Police sources dismissed a claim in a viral video that angry residents of the area burnt some of the touts to death.
The sources said the injured touts were taken to the National Hospital.
The bodies of the couple were also said to have been deposited at the morgue of the hospital.
The police said there were no means of identifying the deceased couple.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Felix Theman, confirmed the incident.
He said the scene had been cleared before his men arrived.
He said, ‘’Based on the information I received, no one died at the crash site and the injured were taken to the hospital.’’
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, told Daily Trust that she only saw the video but could not comment on the details since it was an incident involving touts, not the police.
Speaking to Daily Trust, motorists familiar with the area called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to clamp down on road touts.
Mr Emmanuel Ezikiel, a commercial driver who plies the Berger-Mpape road, described the Mabushi-Bannex area as notorious for the activities of agbero.
“If they (agbero) catch you, no matter who you are, you must pay or they will take you to their base at Jabi Garage,” he said.
Another motorist, Dauda Alabe, noted that private cars are the main target of the roadside touts in the area.
Kingsley Madaki, the Senior Special Assistant to the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, chairman, said those involved were not members of the council’s task force. “Presently, our registered task force is undergoing training and not on the road,” he said.
