The suspension of the shuttle bus and tricycle unions has been declared by the Anambra government as one of the steps being taken to stop the state's growing security breaches.
Commissioner for Information Chief Paul Nwosu released a statement on Thursday that included the suspension.
According to Nwosu, the government's action was in response to security reports that accused the majority of operators in the impacted unions of being responsible for the state's breakdown of peace and order.
He claimed that disputes over union leadership were also fueling tensions and impeding the peaceful mobility of state people.
Nwosu added that disputes had arisen over who had the right to organise tricycle and shuttle bus drivers or their owners, given that many people and organisations had made similar claims.
He added that tricycle owners had openly rejected the claims by the so-called union leaders, contending that the unions were not working for them.
“In the light of the above, and in order to forestall a total breakdown of law and order, the State Government hereby suspends all tricycle and shuttle bus unions with immediate effect for six months,” he stated.
Nwosu added that the suspension would remain until further investigations and harmonization of the unions were completed.
He added that at the end of the exercise, the leaderships of the unions “must be known and recognized by the State Government.
In a related development, the government stated that the ban on touts (agbero) and cult groups, which used to enforce illegal toll and tax collection, remained effective.
It added that only accredited agents had the right to collect tolls, while payment could also be made directly through banks and State Inland Revenue Service.
It advised all the former touts and cultists, who had no legitimate jobs to register their names and phone numbers in their Local Government Area councils.
“Government will train them on life-supporting skills or find them other means of livelihood that would enable them to live a decent life,” it added.
The commissioner reaffirmed Gov. Charles Soludo’s commitment “to reclaim the state from the purveyors of insecurity in Anambra”.