By Okey Maduforo Awka
As Anambra state battles insecurity at the twenty one local government areas the Council Chairman of Awka South local government area Prince Chinedu Okafor has commenced the security profiling of over twenty five thousand Keke tricycle and their operators in the area.
The profiling of the tricycles is predicated on several allegations that majority of crimes and criminality pervading in Awka Capital are being perpetrated by the keke tricycle operators in the towns.
According to the Chairman”I have received petitions from the operators over those allegations and that they said that they are innocent of those crimes”
“And they told me that they are ready to work with me to identify those who are real operators and the criminal elements so I had to sponsor the profiling free of charge and non of them is paying a Kobo for that process ” he said.
Similarly the Commander of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra aka Ocha Brigade Chief Celestine Anere had saved over seven Keke Operators from the menace of touts and has promised to off set all the medical and maintenance expenses of the victims of touting in the area
The profiling of Keke riders include digital documentation of all Keke riders, introduction of identification number and sticker which enables security agencies and tricycle operators and general public to identify any Keke in the case of crime.
However some alleged factions within the tricycle operators in Awka assumed very dangerous dimension when some of the factions opposed the introduction of the profile number.
As a result of the opposition to the introduction of new profile code, crisis erupted when some of the operators accused the council chairman of trying to extort money from them.
One of the victims of the crisis, Nwali Chukwuma who ply Aroma to Eke Awka who was attacked and his Keke seized narrated his ordeal in the hands of the thugs.
He said he was arrested for printing the profile number of the Awka South local government area and expressed satisfaction that the programme was to know all the Keke riders in the capital city.
“They accused me of sabotage and banned me from loading from the park.at Aroma after attacking me and seized my Keke for several days”
“Later the Commander of Ocha Brigade came and released my Keke and promised to off set all expenses that I made when I had that face of with them and it is not only me but a lot of us were victims ”
Also speaking the duo of Uramma Martin Chizoba described the profiling as one that has instilled confidence on the Keke Operators adding that this issue of touts harassing their members is a thing of history.
Similarly Ikechukwu Okeazor who is also a Keke operator noted that they have a digital copy of all the operators registered in Awka Capital adding that they shall continue to assist the Awka South local government Chairman to fish out the criminal elements among them .
