[EDITORIAL]  Lagos Touts And The Culture Of Violence

The incident that occurred last Thursday in Idumota area of Lagos Island during which no fewer than two persons reportedIy belonging to different factions of “agberos” (touts) were killed, was one in many violent incidents involving rival factions of same transport union or two different unions aided by other miscreants.

For about two decades now, the city of Lagos have had occasions to witness factional violence between the two known transport unions namely the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).

The two national unions at different times had waged war of supremacy between themselves during which casualties were left on both sides. Hoodlums waiting to unleash mayhem on innocent residents with the aim of looting their belongings have always capitalised on such occurences.

There had been occasions of factional fight among members of the same Union particularly the NURTW when the leadership in some chapters got split over issues relating to collection and control of revenues. The aftermath of such incidents had often been deadly just like the incident of last Thursday which attracted huge malevolent elements on the Island.

From reports, the fight at Idumota was said to have been precipitated by  groups of touts loyal to two different factions collecting money from commercial vehicle operators at Idumota area. One group was alleged to have dominated in the collection without settling the other, thereby causing some rift that subsequently metamorphosed to full blown attack on suspected opponents.

While the actual cause of the incident which seriously disrupted commercial activities on that day may not have been fully established, one common observation in such similar incidents is the fact that such “agbero” elements derive some powers from political god fathers who use them as tools for the  wrong reasons during political campaigns or elections.

The average Lagos resident who moves from one point to the other in commercial buses can attest to the nuisance the touts cause in the name of transport. Every bus stop is a collection point for them irrespective of whether a driver is picking or dropping a passenger. Often times, a driver’s refusal to part with any amount results to attack on the driver and his conductor.  The touts act in a such brazen manner that leaves one to wonder where their powers are coming from.

Judging from the activities of miscreants masquerading as  transport union members in particular in a place like Lagos, one can easily conclude that by extension, they are aided in their mischief by politicians who need their services during  election time.  They often act with impunity, creating the impression that a god father with all powers to protect them exists somewhere.

As the 2023 general elections are fast approaching, it has become necessary to harp on the age long culture of violence that comes with the transport unions or their surrogates on the roads who often are willing to turn themselves as cannon fodders in the hands of politicians once it is election time.

The transport unions as registered entities would officially want to deny the involvement of their members in such violence in the public space, ostensibly due to the fact that the touts who perpetrate the violent acts do not carry Union identity cards, yet it is common that those touts who operate at the bus stops openly do so in the name of the transport unions and other mundane authorities clandestinely aided and abetted largely by the police.

The clash of interest among such bodies in collection of the illegal fees from commercial vehicle operators has often led to the violence as no group would want to be shortchanged.

With last Thursday’s incident as the latest in the series of such occasional reign of terror and violence in Lagos, SECURITY REPORTERS.com would like to call on the Lagos State Government to take a decisive action on the menace of touts (agberos) and their kinds who would always resort to violence and disturb public peace for self reasons.

The earlier such unholy groups are checkmated, the better for Lagos residents who are usually at the receiving end of the mischief, violence and break down of law and order by such groups.