Governor Charles Soludo’s administration has announced the suspension of tricycle and shuttle bus unions to arrest the worsening insecurity in Anambra.

The suspension is contained in a statement issued Thursday by the commissioner for information, Paul Nwosu.

According to the release, the government’s action followed security reports that indicted the unions for being behind the breakdown of law and order in the state.

It revealed that leadership tussles within the unions also caused conflicts and disrupted the peaceful movement of residents, arising from different persons and entities claiming to be the appropriate authority to unionise tricycle and shuttle bus operators or their owners.

The government added that tricycle owners 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,” the Soludo administration announced.

The suspension would remain until the Anambra government concluded further investigations and harmonisation of the unions, stressing that the unions’ leaderships “must be known and recognised” by the state government.

In a related development, the government stated that the ban on touts (agberos) and cult groups, which enforced illegal toll and tax collection, remained effective.

It added that only accredited agents had the right to collect tolls and payment could also be made directly through banks and State Inland Revenue Service and urged the touts and cultists 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,” said the statement.

(NAN)