Outrage As Truck Belonging To Cross River Government Knocks Trader Dead In Calabar

There was outrage in Calabar on Friday afternoon when a truck owned by the Department of Public Transport an agency of the Cross River State Government, knocked down a street trader killing him instantly, The Nation reports.

An eyewitness who witnessed the incident that happened at the Post Office axis of Calabar Road close to the popular Watt Market, said the ill-fated trader and father of five, identified as Michael, was knocked down on purpose.

It was gathered that the officials of the agency had asked Michael, who sold leather slippers by the side of the road, to take his wares away from the street and as he was trying to comply, he was knocked into the gutter by them.

After knocking him into the gutter, they started carrying his wares into their truck and as he came out he started begging them to release his goods.

It was gathered that he prostrated while begging, but the enraged officials rather ran him over with their truck, killing him instantly.

The incident sparked outrage and a mob immediately gathered, but the officials managed to escape with their truck.

The mob then marched with the corpse strapped to roof of a car from the scene of the incident to the office of the agency, close to the governor’s office, threatening to burn down the place.

They were however cordoned off by a deployment of police who had arrived to put the situation in check.

A senior police officer with a name tag that identified him as M. Horsefall led the team and he tried to pacify the mob.

Some people in the mob complained that the people have continuously been subjected to inhuman treatment by members of the agency, which has often led to injuries and sometimes death as was the case on Friday.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident but said no arrests had been made yet.