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A tricycle rider has allegedly been beaten to death on Thursday by a member of a task force operating in the Ogbogoro area of Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to eyewitnesses, the keke rider identified as Nsikak Esieme was transporting a passenger when he was accosted by members of the task force who demanded N200 ticket money from him.
However, trouble started when Mr. Esieme refused to oblige their request, arguing that he had just come out and was yet to make a substantial sum of money yet.
Trouble started when a member of the task force identified simply as Osisi rejected his explanations and a fracas ensued. It was at this moment that Osisi allegedly punched Nsikak in the tummy which saw him slump to the ground. He was thereafter rushed to a hospital before he was pronounced dead.
Speaking to journalists, the Chairman of the Keke Riders Union in the Ogbogoro community, Ivumba Friday, said: “Nsikak Esieme was murdered this morning by one Osisi that has been terrorizing Ogbogoro and our people on a daily basis. We’ve reported this matter to OSPAC and even to the Police”.
He claimed that “so many times he used to break their windscreen in Ogbogoro…our keke people are law-abiding people who pay their taxes but if you see the level of ticket prices from the community and even Osisi himself you’ll be shocked. Up till now, we don’t know the whereabouts of the corpse of our member that has died”.
Mr. Esieme’s elder brother, Lucky, who also spoke to newsmen demanded the release of his late brother’s corpse to the family even as he gave a graphic detail of what transpired.
“Till now, I don’t know where my brother’s corpse is. I want the person to come and show me my brother’s dead body and look for how we will bury him,” he said.
The Police meanwhile are saying the death of Nsikak was due to “two fighting”. The spokesperson of the Rivers Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, told Channels Television that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ogbogoro said it was a case of two fighting between Nsikak and his assailant.
According to her, the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
She also revealed that Osisi is on the run, but the Command is on the lookout for him.
The task force is yet to comment on the matter as of the time of this report.
