Pandemonium in Rivers as policeman shoots tricycle rider dead over N100 bribe

<!– Protest in Rivers over killing of tricycle rider –>

Protest in Rivers over killing of tricycle rider

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Pandemonium broke out on Thursday, at Mgbuchi-Rukpokwuodu, Rukpokwu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, as policeman allegedly shot a tricycle rider dead over N100 bribe.

PM NEWS reports that the immediate reason for killing the tricycle rider, popularly known as “School Boy” by the yet to be identified policeman, was uncertain.

However, various sources claimed that the deceased was shot dead at a close range by a policeman attached to a patrol team around 6.00am on Thursday due to his refusal to part with N100 bribe.

The Police patrol team was allegedly drawn from the Police Special Area Command, in Rumuodomaya headquarters of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

According to sources, immediately the police team found out that ” School Boy” was shot dead and his tricycle plunged into the gutter, they fled the scene of the of the incident to avoid reprisal attack from angry passers-by who witnessed the incident.

However, a few minutes after the news of of the death of “School Boy”, broke with videos in social media, there was spontaneous protests from the commercial tricycle operators who were joined by angry youths and residents.

The angry protesters blocked the Airport road, and major adjoining roads leading to the Port Harcourt International Airport causing heavy traffic with bonfires.

Protesters also tried to march to the Police Special Area Command in Rumuodomaya but were resisted by policemen who shot both teargas canisters and live bullets sporadically for several hours to ward them off.

Protest in ongoing right now at Rumukupu axis,
I call on the Rivers State Police command to swing into action and fish out the police officer responsible for this act of injustice and let the Law take its course and also compensate the deceased family. pic.twitter.com/axA367g1Qf

— Jim Ogu (@jim_ogu) December 10, 2020

In a Video that went viral immediately after the incident, relations and sympathetic onlookers were seen weeping over the corpse of the late tricycle rider.

SP Nnamdi Omoni, spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident and that the policeman who fired the shot that killed the tricycle rider had been arrested and demobilised.

As at the time of filing this report, shop owners in Rumuodomaya and Rukpokwu and those along Airport road hurriedly closed their shops, while commuters trekked long distances as vehicles were off the road.