Tricycle owners and riders in Anambra have unanimously made passionate appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to urgently establish security monitoring unites in various parts of the state to completely checkmate the unabated criminal activities of the tricycle snatchers in the especially in the urban towns.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that Awka South Chairman Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Anambra State, Hon. Prince Collins Ozojiofor, made the passionate appeal at the Regina Caeli Park of the Association Opkuno axis where the aggrieved members of the association converged to pay their last respect to one of their 37 years old member Mr. Chinweike Nwaigbo of Amogwu Aku Community, Nssuka in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State who was recently shut dead by unknown gun men in Awka while on duty.
The Chairman, who described the unbridled attack, maiming and killing of their members in various parts of the State as unacceptable, maintained that Soludo is trying his best in the area of security in the state but adding that more are needed to be done in tackling the menace of the unknown hoodlums in the State.
He assured the people that the leadership of the association in the Anambra State would not hesitate in helping to ride the state off hoodlums who were threatening their lives on daily basis by making sure that the Keke operators in the State, Awka South in particular are duly registered with their security codes for easy identification, pointing out that any tricycle without proper identification number must be apprehended and handover over to Police for further investigation and prosecution.
While consoling the immediate bereaved family, friends and well wishers as well as members of the association to calm their ladened hearts down and live the vengence to God, the Chairman, Prince Ozojiofor, vehemently vowed that the leadership of the association would not in any way or manner allow any Keke rider without logo number to operate in Awka and environs, saying that the information reaching him has shown that most of the attacks, maiming and killing of the Keke riders in the state were mostly carried out by some of the Keke drivers without Logo and identification numbers among the association.
Also, the Secretary General of the association, Comrade Elvis Okolie in a remark, recalled that one of them was recently attacked by the unknown gun men and in an attempt to defend himself and avert the stealing of his tricycle stabbed by the hoodlums and his intestines bursted out, stressing that lo and behold, God so kind the perpetrators were apprehended and still in the Police net now.
Comrade Okolie who used the opportunity offered him by the event to call on the Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Security matters, Sir Vice Marshal Ben Chiobi to raise up to curtailing security challenges in the State, swore that the association would not allow the ugly trend to continue but should come together to fashioning out favourable measures within their powers geared towards defending themselves in a logical and legal ways to halt the reoccurring of these ugly trends in the State.
The Chairman Regina Caeli Park of the association at Opkuno axis, Mr. Elias Okonkwo who felt so embittered on the untimely death of Late Chinweike Nwaigbo, whom he said was recently married and his wife nursing a seven months old child, wondered why the deceased should be killed at his prime age of thirty seven years with a lot of ambitions and proposals of what he wants to achieve before the year runs out, describing the incidence surrounding his death as very unfortunate.
Some of the tricycle riders who spoke on the event were Mr. Okeanyi Ifeanyi, Akaraekwe Nnaemeka and the Chairman Amogwu Aku Community Awka Branch, Mr. Desmond Chukwuneke, described the unexpected death of the young man as a big blow and one of darkest days in the annals of Amogwu Aku Community .
They equally thanked the Chairman Akwka South Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Prince Ozojiofor and his team for their unwavering supports and solidarity, urging the drivers to always support their Leaders in the total fight against unlawful activities of the bad elements in the State with a view to avoiding untimely death of their members again.
The elder sister of the deceased, Mrs Chizoba Nwaigbo, prayed God not to spear the lives of those who masterminded the death of her younger brother as they would not escape the heavy wrath of their sins, assuring the people that the Nwaigbo family would take proper care of their late brother’s wife and her seven months old baby by shielding them away from hunger and other uncertainties.
The angry drivers who collected the remains of the deceased at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital mortuary Amaku, Awka, before proceeding to Regina Caeli Park of the Association and their park at UNIZIK temporary site, Awka in a motor cades later conveyed the deceased body to his country home Amogwu Aku Nssuka in Igbo Etiti Local Government Area for burial.
