Day in, day out, scruffy-looking touts, known as ‘agbero’ in the local parlance, prowl the sides of major roads in the FCT, harassing and extorting motorists. Sometimes, their recklessness results in fatalities.
On Sept. 3, a man, his wife lost their lives in an accident at the Mabushi Bridge, Abuja, due to the activities of suspected roadside touts.
Accounts from eyewitnesses revealed that the man, driving a private vehicle with his family, had stopped to pick up another relative at the Berger Roundabout, an action the touts interpreted as a violation of their rules.
The FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said that preliminary investigations revealed that a grey Toyota Highlander, with registration number ABJ 206 EC, was forcefully taken over by three unidentified suspects near Berger Junction, Utako.
‘The vehicle, driven by one Emeka Ehekweme with his wife on board, reportedly lost control during a struggle for the steering wheel, veered off, and hit a parked Mazda that eventually somersaulted into a bridge pillar.
‘Ehekweme, his wife, and two of the suspected assailants were confirmed dead on arrival at the National Hospital, Abuja; a third suspect is said to be receiving treat-ment.
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‘The driver of the Mazda, identified as Suleman Mohammed, sustained no life-threatening injuries,’ the police said.
This sad story seems to be the trend in Abuja, envisioned as Nigeria’s model city – Orderly, and free from the chaos typical of unplanned urban centers.
Unfortunate-ly, this rising wave of touting and street harassment across major parks, markets, motor terminals, and junctions has become a threat to this vision.
From Berger to Area 1, Nyanya to Zuba, the activities of touts have become an everyday reality for residents and visitors. Their presence not only mars the aes-thetic order of the capital city but also undermines efforts by the FCT Administra-tion (FCTA) to maintain law, security, and sanity in public spaces.
Touting in Abuja manifests in many forms: at motor parks, commuters are har-assed by groups of young men forcefully dragging luggage, shouting destinations, and demanding illegal levies. Around markets and bus stops, self-appointed ‘ticket agents’ collect daily charges from commercial drivers and traders, often with threats and physical intimidation.
These individuals operate outside the law, yet their activities thrive due to weak enforcement, unemployment, and, in some cases, collusion with certain transport unions and local officials. What was once an isolated nuisance has become a sys-temic problem.
Recounting his ordeal, Mr. Mike Samson, a civil servant, said he had picked up his colleague from the office after work, going to Kubwa. He said that when he stopped for her to alight around Jahi Junction, some touts rushed his car and took his key.
‘Before I knew what was happening, the person that took my key crossed over and disappeared. They claimed I violated the FCT rules and had to pay some mon-ey. I kept dragging back and forth with them till I succumbed and negotiated to pay them N3,000 before they brought back my car keys,’ he said.
A resident of Zuba, Miss Favour Okibe, recounts her experience. ‘You cannot board a vehicle at Zuba or Nyanya without being harassed. Some touts demand ‘loading fees’ even from passengers; they claim they got the vehicle for you so you have to pay them. It is embarrassing that this is happening in the nation’s capital,’ she said.
Mr. Usman Zango, a trader residing in Lugbe, said one of his customers had asked him to deliver some items to her so she could pick them up by the road.
‘As soon as I got to the bus stop where she was to collect the items, some men rushed into my car, threatening to take me to their station for violating traffic rules. I told them ‘let’s go’, but they instantly began to prevail on me to just pay them off to save me from paying higher money when they take me to their office. I had to just give them some money to leave my car,’ he said.
It has been argued by some experts that the menace of touting is not merely a law enforcement issue but a symptom of deeper socioeconomic challenges. They say it is because many of the young men involved are unemployed, under-educated, and lack vocational skills. Driven by desperation and the need to survive, they re-sort to illegal ‘levy collection’ and street domination as a means of livelihood.
Mr. Emmanuel Oloniruha, a civil servant, offered some advice. ‘Those people are terrible; they attack you. Even when passengers are just alighting, they harass you. Sometimes, they even pretend to be passengers seeking help; as soon as you stop, they will rush you,’ he said.
Oloniruha said some touting activities are linked to transport unions that operate outside official frameworks.
He advised that the FCTA should ensure unions are registered, transparent, and accountable for their members’ conduct. Oloniruha also encouraged resisting ille-gal levies and reporting harassment.
Observers say campaigns promoting civic discipline, respect for public order, and dignity of labour are essential to restoring Abuja’s image as a model city.
The FCTA has, over the years, made several attempts to curb the menace by estab-lishing task forces to sanitize motor parks and remove illegal operators.
The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), the Abuja Environmental Protec-tion Board (AEPB), and the Joint Task Force have occasionally raided parks and junctions, arresting touts and illegal revenue collectors.
However, these efforts have often been short-lived.
Once the enforcement teams retreat, the touts return – sometimes emboldened.
Critics say the government’s ‘fire-brigade’ approach has failed to produce lasting results.
Recently, the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, said that the FCTA was determined to end harassment of motorists and business people by touts who collect revenue for area councils. Wike said a committee would be formed with the area councils to harmonize ac-counts and end double taxation.
Looking ahead, some respondents have called for the need for a sustainable struc-ture to end touting in the FCT, not just raids. Enforcement must be followed by re-habilitation and reorientation.
Mr. Joshua Dauda, a resident of Nyanya, said to effectively curb touting in the FCT, a multidimensional strategy is required – combining law enforcement with social inclusion and institutional reform.
‘There is a need for the FCTA to identify those they have appointed to collect money for tickets by uniform and identity cards; and there should be a law that states that anyone without uniform or identity card should not engage in col-lecting money. There should also be some kind of social inclusion programmes for youths to take them out of the streets. The FCTA should sustain continuous en-forcement rather than sporadic raids.
Every motor park and loading point must be brought under the supervision of recognized authorities, with digital ticketing sys-tems to eliminate illegal fee collection,’ he said.
Mrs. Esther Moses, an FCT resident, said that many touts were victims of systemic neglect. Reacting to the increasing menace, Mr. Kingsley Madaki, the senior special assis-tant on media and public affairs to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Chairman, condemned the activities of touts.
He said that the hoodlums were not AMAC staff members or agents working for the council.
Madaki said that the council was taking immediate action to combat such criminal activities in the city centre.
Madaki also expressed concerns about other unauthorized groups impersonating officials from various agencies, including the FCTA Department of Outdoor Adver-tisement and Signage (DOAS) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
In all, stakeholders say to curb touting in the FCT, there must be a strong political will, while conscious efforts should be made to provide alternative means of liveli-hoods to the touts.