Angry protesters blocked movements on major roads in Abuja yesterday following the alleged shooting of a taxi driver by men of the Joint Task Force at Wuse, a commercial hub in the city.
The angry protesters made bonfires on the Murtala Muhammed Expressway, the Herbert Macaulay Way and Berger Roundabout, paralysing vehicular movement, as well as commercial activities in the areas.
The protest started from the scene of the alleged incident with the protesting drivers blocking the roads with their vehicles and disused tyres which they used to make the bonfires.
The Treasurer, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Berger Unit branch 2, Kareem Adesanya, said the JTF operatives were fond of extorting money from cab drivers, adding that the soldiers assaulted them and damaged their vehicles for no reason.
He said, “The Joint Task Force men have always extorted money from our members. If they arrested a driver, they would extort at least N7,000 without issuing any receipt. What happened today (Wednesday) was that they shot a driver at Wuse and whisked him away; nobody knows if he died or not.”
Adesanya said his union had complained to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mohammed Bello, without any response, adding that the drivers were tired of the harassment by the security operatives.
They asked the FCT administration to create motor parks, noting that many vacant spaces could be converted into loading bays for taxi drivers.
The blockade on the Murtala Expressway was later removed by some youths on the instructions of a combined team of soldiers and policemen which had earlier used tear gas to disperse the stone-throwing protesters.
