From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Pandemonium broke out in Okene, Kogi State, on Monday, last week, when a truck driver was allegedly shot dead by soldiers. The killing, it was gathered, caused no small stirs as it almost degenerated to a total break down of law and order in the town.
The driver, identified as Ibrahim Ayinla, 30 years old, was coming from Lagos and heading to Abuja. He was flagged down by some operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), at the Ogori Mangogo end of the highway.
He allegedly refused to stop, which made the corps to give him a“hot chase and at the same time sent a distress call to soldiers at the Total filing station, Okene. Immediately the soldiers sighted the truck, they were said to have just opened fire on the driver and killed him instantly.
It was also learnt that, a truck boy, Segun Gabriel, got his leg broken while the third occupant, Murtala Suleiman, sustained serious injuries from gunshot. According to an eyewitness account, the incident caused panic in the area as residents ran helter skeletal.
When Daily Sun visited the scene on Wednesday, the truck with registration number FKJ 436 XB belonging to Animashaun Integrated Services, Lagos, was seen parked at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Okene, riddled with bullets.
Narrating his experience at a private hospital in Okene where he was receiving treatment, Gabriel said the FRSC operatives actually flagged them down at Lampese, a town close to Ogori and about 20km drive to Okene because they thought they were carrying contraband. He said they explained to them they were only conveying electric cables to Abuja and they did a random check on the vehicle and asked them to go.
He said as the driver put on the engine to take off, a certain officer beckoned on to them again but the ignored him and drove away. After moving for about five kilometers, he said unknown to them the officers were trailing them with a motorcycle and had already alerted the soldiers in Okene.
He said as soon they got to the soldiers’ checkpoint, at the Total filing station, Okene, the soldiers on sighting them opened fire and killed the driver instantly. They shot him in the leg and the third person said to be in a critical condition was also hit by the bullets. He said the killed driver was from Ile Eleran, Ilorin, Kwara State, and his wife is currently nursing a three-month-old baby.
When contacted, the state Sector Commander FRSC, Mr. Segun Martins, confirmed the death of the driver, and said his men actually conveyed the remains to the mortuary. He, however, said the driver when stopped proved stubborn, as he was booked of two offences of over loading and excess lights. He claimed the driver deliberately jumped into his vehicle and zoomed off abducting one of his officers.
He said this made his boys to immediately contact the soldiers to help rescue his officer who he said was “abducted” by the driver. He said with the behavior of the driver after evading three checkpoints, his officers assumed he was a kidnapper and had to alert the soldiers at the checkpoints.
When our correspondent called on the Kogi State Commander, Mr Segun Martins on his mobile phone to avail us of the name of his officer that he claimed the driver abducted, he promised to call his men
at the scene of the incident to give out the name.
Two hours later, when our correspondent called back the mobile phone for the name, there was no response . our correspondent therefore decided to meet him in his office situated at the back side of the Lokoja local government Secretariat, but he was told that the sector commander was in a meeting.
After waiting for about two hours, our Correspondent, decided to leave the office but with a text message to the FTSC boss, but as t the time of filing in this report, the response was yet to be received.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Willy Eya, also confirmed the incident. He said the police have taken over the case for investigation.
The spokesman at the Army Records Barracks, Lokoja, Capt. Wari Finikumor, denied soldiers killed the driver. He said the soldiers were doing their legitimate duty until the FRSC men sent a distress call to them. He said they (FRSC) alleged that one of their officers was abducted by a truck driver who evaded arrest at three previous checkpoints.
He said his men swiftly acted and flagged down the vehicle at the Total filing station checkpoint, but the driver refused to stop. He explained that at this point, his men had to fire some shots to the tyres of the vehicle to stop it from moving further.
He claimed the soldiers were not aware that the driver died on the spot, saying the FRSC actually conveyed the wounded persons to the hospital. He said his men responded to the distress call because that area was prone to high crime rate, adding that only two days earlier two police men were killed by unknown gunmen on the same spot.