Violence Erupts In Rivers As Policeman Kills Tricycle Rider

There was utter pandemonium and chaos in Rukpokwu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Thursday, after a trigger-happy police officer shot dead a commercial tricycle rider.

Eko hot blog gathered that the incident happened in the morning of December 10, around 7am, at Airport Road.

The policeman allegedly killed the victim over his refusal to give him N100 bribe.

Infuriated by the incident, colleagues of the victim and some irate youths mobilised and reportedly blocked the road to protest the killing.

Their action was said to have impeded commercial and vehiclular activities in the area.

The protesters reportedly asked that the suspect be handed over to them, a demand declined by the police.

Security operatives have been deployed to the scene of the incident to disperse the protesters and restore normalcy in the area.

Nnamdi Omoni, the police public relations officer in Rivers, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect has been arrested and detained.

He sued for peace, saying the suspect would be brought to justice, noting that the likelihood of the protester taking law into their own hands would only aggravate an already tensed situation

READ ALSO: Bus Drivers, Okada Riders Clash Over Death of Colleague

“I am aware of the incident at Rukpokwu. One of our men killed a keke rider this morning. The policeman has been disarmed and he is detained now,” he said.

“We have mobilised our men in the area to restore calm and contain a further breakdown of law and order.

“We are pleading for calm to allow us to bring him to justice. Two wrongs can never make a wrong. The keke driver has died and the man who killed him must receive his punishment.

“Killing a policeman or burning down a station cannot bring him back to life or give him justice; instead, it will deteriorate the situation.”

The incident is coming barely two months after youth across the country, under the #EndSARS campaign, took to the streets to protest against police brutality and highhandedness.