By Joy Yesufu
Tragedy struck in Abuja on Wednesday afternoon when a man, his wife, and their son lost their lives after their vehicle was chased by touts, commonly known as agberos, under the Mabushi Bridge.
Eyewitnesses said the family had just purchased a brand-new refrigerator and were driving in a Toyota Highlander from the Berger area when three touts pursued them. The suspects reportedly forced their way into the car and attempted to wrestle control of the steering wheel from the driver.
“In the struggle, the vehicle rammed into a bridge pillar and plunged into a drainage,” an eyewitness told our correspondent. The crash killed all three occupants instantly.
A green-coloured Abuja taxi parked nearby was also severely damaged in the collision.
The scene quickly descended into chaos as angry passersby attacked the touts. One of them was lynched on the spot, while police operatives from Mabushi Division intervened to rescue the other two, who sustained critical injuries and were taken to the National Hospital.
The bodies of the victims were later deposited in a mortuary.
There were initial conflicting accounts about the casualties, but multiple witnesses confirmed that a child was among the dead.
Residents expressed outrage at the growing menace of touts in the city.
“Abuja citizens are tired of agberos and they should be flushed out of society. Now a family of three is gone. Are you saying I should own a car and still pay for a commercial vehicle to move my things?” a resident identified as Moses lamented.
As of press time, the FCT Police Command had not released an official statement on the incident, which occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
