On Sunday, a group of touts converged on an unidentified tricycle operator for refusing to pay the park levy.
The incident occurred at the well-known UNIZIK Temporary Site in Awka, Anambra State.
According to reports, the tricycle rider refused to pay the touts’ fees, telling them that Governor Chukwuma Soludo had proclaimed a ban on touts’ activities during his inaugural address on Thursday.
According to an eyewitness who identified himself as Frank, the touts approached the tricycle operator and demanded the standard N200 payment.
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.