Motorists Lament Increasing Number Of Touts

Motorists plying Port
Harcourt and its environs have cried out to the Rivers State Government to urgently come to their aid following the increasing number of touts working for the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
A cross section of motorists who spoke with The Tide correspondent in Port Harcourt last Monday said the situation had become so embarrassing that one could not drive along the roads and streets of Port Harcourt.
According to them, some of the touts who wear uniforms of different colours jump into cars and even drag  keys with drivers without any genuine traffic offences.
They lamented that the trend, if not checked, would bring embarrassment to the state as most of them are non indigenes.
They lamented that touts have taken over the parks and bus stops while others used hired unpainted vehicles to carry out their nefarious activities, which had in recent to drivers, both private and commercial.
A victim, Hillary Nwaeke, who is a commercial driver said on the  fateful day, he had bought the daily ticket with his bucket in the vehicle before the hoodlums jumped into the car and dragged his car key from him that I have no stickers. “I tried to explain to them that tickets are yet to be sold but all fell on deaf ears”, he said.
According to the driver,  they over powered him, Barrister snatched his phone and used their master key bounch to drive the car to Marine Base, where they packed and deflated the tyres, and asked him to pay N18,000,
Another victim, Barrister Chidi Enyia who also narrated his ordeal with the touts said he was driving to his office at Ikwerre Road when two touts suddenly entered into his car and said he parked wrongly and impounded his car to Rukpoku, where he was asked to pay the sum of N20,000, and the recommended him  for a driving and psychiatric tests.
The legal luminary however called on the government to swoop on these boys and stop their nefarious activities.
Another commercial driver, Akeem Taiwo, who narrated his ordeal in the hands of the touts last Thursday, disclosed that three young men took him on a drop from Rumuokoro to Port Harcourt Township, but on reaching station bus stop, they confronted  him that he was driving unpainted taxi and that they are members of the taskforce.
On reaching there, he said, he saw other cars parked and their tyres deflated and that his plea for the release of the car fell on deaf ears as he was asked to pay the sum of N25,000.
Taiwo, who is still feeling the shock said these touts who operates on mufty with the assistance of police officers at times should be checked, while questioning if their operations are known to the Ministry of Transport, the police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and of course the National Union of Road Transport Workers positing that a stich in time saves nine, he posited.
Meanwhile, attempts to get the reaction from the Commissioner of Transport, Mr. George Tolofari proved abortive at his press officer, Kenoye Abia Declined to cooperate while the secretary of Port Harcourt city local government council, Mr. Theophilus Akubo said they have no taskforce in Port Harcourt.
In his own reaction, the Deputy State Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Rivers State, Pastor Ominiayebagha Duma Kalango said he had not experienced if there are touts on the roads, or they are political agents.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad Kidaya Muhammed could not be reached as calls were being diverted.