Praise Necherem
Tension was rife in Onitsha, Anambra state on Monday, following alleged killing of a driver by a suspected vigilante operative near a petrol station, along the Onitsha/Enugu Expressway in the commercial city.
A resident of the area, who craved anonymity, said the deceased was driving in the company of a lady when they were reportedly accosted by the vigilante operatives who were using a Seinna vehicle.
“An argument ensued between him and the vigilante operatives in the process of which one of them shot him, killing him instantly, while the lady took to her heels on sighting the guns the vigilantes were wielding,” he said.
Another version of the story had it that the vigilante operatives had accosted a driver carrying goods with a lady and demanded money from them.
The source said the operatives had rejected the sum of N500 offered to them by the driver before arresting him and impounding his vehicle.
It said the driver called the owner of the goods to inform him of the development, threatening to abandon the goods with them.
“The owner quickly rushed to the scene. In the process of a heated argument, however, the vigilante operative released a gun shot at the man, and several shots into the air to scare people away before he drove off.
Orient Daily learnt that the incident attracted youths of the area who carried his corpse and proceeded to Ime Obi Onitsha, with palm fronds on their mouths to register their displeasure against the ugly incident.
Efforts to speak with police area commander in charge of Onitsha, Mr John Obuagbaka, were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone were not picked, neither did he respond to text message sent to him in respect of the incident, as at the time of filing this report.
The police public relations officer, Tochukwu Ikenga said he was yet to receive a report on the incident.
“I have no such reports before me, please,” Obuagbaka said.