Commercial motorcycle operators in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State, early hours of Tuesday, 1 October, launched a reprisal attack on the police in the area for allegedly killing two of their members.
The irate youths set a police patrol van ablaze, even as
they placed a mock coffin in front of the police divisional office in Eket.
Recall that the police had earlier last week banned
commercial cyclists from operating before 6a.m and beyond 6p.m daily due to
criminalities allegedly perpetrated in the area through the use of motorcycles.
It was learnt that the motorcyclists never accepted the
order as they continued operating beyond the stipulated period.
An eyewitness Emman Okposin, narrating the incident to
newsmen, said, “last Sunday night, one of our members was shot dead by the
police and the corpse has been deposited in the mortuary at Immanuel General
Hospital, Eket.
“But the incident that caused us to revolt occurred
yesterday (Monday) was when a policeman beat a motorcyclists and he collapsed
on the spot before the victim was rushed to hospital.
“The victim named Udo from Idung Udoe died the previous
night while receiving treatment at Immanuel General Hospital , Eket.”
He said the youths and all motorcycle operators took the
corpse to Eket local government council and later to the area police station as
the council chairman Frank Archibong was not available to address them.
Okposin said the police prevented them from entering their
station and they returned the corpse to the mortuary.
He said all the cyclists and the youths regrouped and moved
to police checkpoints along James Town road.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP
Odiko McDon said the restriction order was from the state government as a
strategy to check cultism and all forms of criminality in the area.
McDon who denied knowledge of the death of any cyclists,
however, vowed that the police would stop at nothing in ensuring that the
order, which helped to checkmate criminality in Ikot Ekpene was implemented to
the letter in Eket.
His words, “The restriction order by the state government is
not just in Eket, but also in Ikot Ekpene and other troubled areas and the
police are merely carrying out the order. We are saddled with the
responsibility of implementing the law. We are not using force, so I am not
aware of any death, and we would stop at nothing in ensuring that we implement
the order. It worked in Ikot Ekpene and today, people are able to sleep with
two eyes closed.
“They raised down our Volvo that had a mechanical fault and
we have arrested 19 persons in connection with that. We are certain that lots
of criminal activities would be curtailed in the area if bikemen are restricted
within these hours”.
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