Criminals Posing As Passengers, NSCDC Warns Tricycle, Taxi Operators
Following an emerging wave of robbery, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has called on the operators of tricycles also known as Keke-NAPEP and taxis in Kaduna metropolis to be wary of their antics and avoid situations that would expose them to attacks.
The warning according to the Acting State Commandant of the corps, Deputy Commandant of Corps, Ilelaboye Waidi Oyejide, became necessary following a report of the activities of criminals who pose as genuine passengers but end-up dispossessing unsuspecting operators at gun point.
“This warning has become necessary in view of a recent report the command received from one victim (name withheld) who fell prey of the ugly trend, the Commandant maintained,” he said.
Ilelaboye quoted the victim as saying “he escaped death with his tricycle but lost all the money he got that fateful day when he was lured to the outskirt of Kakuri and robbed at gun point with severe torture.”
The victim, he said, explained that his ordeal occurred between 2300hours – 2400hours when a neatly dressed person on suit ‘hired’ him towards that destination not knowing that his accomplices were stationed on the way.
Continuing, the victim explained that on their way another one pretended to stop him which he declined but the one on board asked to ‘assist’ in spite of the fare agreed to pay him.
Regrettably, he stated that not long afterwards, he was compelled to stop at a point where the duo dispossessed him of his earnings.
This incident brought to four incidence of robbery affecting tricycle and taxi-operators, the other one being at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Express Way in which an operator was almost strangled but managed to escape without his means of livelihood which he collected on hire purchase at N1.3million and had paid less than N400,000.
While the State NSCDC boss said the command will do everything possible to uncover perpetrators of this crime and sanction them, he stressed the need for all operators of Keke-NAPEP and taxis to be conscious of the crime and devise measures that would make them less vulnerable to the trend.
