March 02, (THEWILL) – Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state on Tuesday lifted the ban on tricycles, motorcycles, and tippers earlier restricted in some parts of the state.
The governor lifted the ban during a security meeting between him and leaders of the Association of Tricycle Riders Transport Union (ATRTU), Enugu state, Motorcycle Transport Union of Enugu state, Nkanu East/West branches and the Enugu state Tipper Union of Nigeria.
The ban, which government announced on Thursday, February 24, 2022, followed rising insecurity in the council areas, especially the attacks on voters during the council elections in which some persons were killed and others injured.
It was learnt that the state government decided to sanction the operators after discovering that some of them were assisting gunmen in their areas, just as they were being used to supply arms and food items to their various hideouts.
Lifting the ban, Ugwuanyi urged the leaders of the associations to do all they could to religiously fulfill their promises so that they restored security and confidence of their passengers.
He, however, directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Miletus Eze to immediately prepare an Executive Order vacating the ban.
Earlier, the leaders of the various union had revealed that hoodlums had infiltrated their associations to perpetrate criminal activities in the state to tarnish their image.
They also disclosed that there were some bad eggs and criminal elements among them who used their means of livelihood for criminal activities to the detriment of their collective image and fortunes.
Speaking at the meeting, the state chairman of ATRTU, Comrade Benjamin Ikah, said that the association would not fold its arms and watch the long-built reputation in Enugu state being damaged by some criminals.
He added that the association would, as usual, support the efforts of the security agencies in the state to fish out the bad eggs in our association.
Ikah condemned in its entirety, the activities of those who used tricycles and other vehicles for criminal activities in the state.
He promised that they would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the hoodlums using tricycles for criminal activities were fished out and appealed to Gov. Ugwuanyi to “temper justice with mercy”.
Speaking on behalf of the Enugu state Tipper Union of Nigeria, the president, Andrew Nweke, expressed dismay that its revered union which it had jealously shielded for decades had been surreptitiously infiltrated by criminal elements masquerading as genuine drivers.
Nweke assured Ugwuanyi that the union reputed for the high moral standing of its members should no longer allow unscrupulous characters drag the name of the association to the mud.
According to him, “our union do solemnly assure our selfless and gallant security agencies of maximum support and requisite information to unravel any act of criminality within our fold.
“Our union, therefore, emphatically condemns the clandestine but criminal activities of drivers who collude with blood-sucking bandits under the cloak of Tipper Union to unleash mayhem on unsuspecting and innocent citizens”.
Meanwhile in the communiqué issued at the end of a joint meeting prior to the meeting with the governor, the three associations adopted measures to actualize their mandate of enhancing the security of the state.
They appealed to security agencies and the Local Government Council chairmen to cooperate with them in their efforts to fish out the bad eggs among them.
