Chaos erupted in the Ogbogoro area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State on Thursday when a member of a task force allegedly assaulted and fatally struck a tricycle driver named Esikak Esieme during a dispute over a ₦200 ticket fee.
According to reports, the task force officials signaled Esikak, who was carrying a passenger, to stop and demanded the money. However, Esikak explained that he had just started his business for the day and didn’t have the requested amount.
An immediate argument ensued, during which one of the task force members, who is allegedly associated with a cult group known as ‘Osisi,’ struck the 39-year-old tricycle driver, causing him to collapse.
Fellow drivers quickly rushed Esikak to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Upon hearing the news of his untimely demise, other tricycle drivers launched a protest to express their grievances. They expressed their anguish over the relentless harassment and extortion they experienced from Osisi and his associates, bitterly recounting the altercation that led to Esikak’s tragic death.
Temporarily suspending their operations, the enraged tricycle operators marched from Ogbogoro to the premises of a popular radio station (Cool/Wazobia/Info FM) in Port Harcourt, demanding justice for their deceased colleague.
In his statement, Ivumba Friday, the President of the Tricycle Union in Ogbogoro Community, squarely blamed Osisi for the incident, describing him as a ‘cultist’ and ‘thug’ who had made life unbearable for the tricycle drivers.
Friday further stated that the suspect and his group have been imposing illegal levies on the tricycle drivers in the area without any intervention. He mentioned that these hoodlums have repeatedly harassed a vigilante group known as OSPAC in Ogbogoro, and no action has been taken to apprehend them.
He expressed, “Nsikak Esieme was murdered this morning by one Osisi, a cultist who has been terrorizing Ogbogoro and our community on a daily basis. We have reported this matter to OSPAC and even to the police.”
The President of the Tricycle Union in Ogbogoro Community highlighted the ongoing extortion imposed on the tricycle drivers by Osisi and his associates, emphasizing that it has persisted without any restraint. He also revealed instances where the hoodlums damaged the windshields of tricycles in Ogbogoro.
“Our tricycle operators are law-abiding citizens who dutifully pay their levies every day. However, until this moment, we have no information about the whereabouts of our deceased member’s body.”
Lucky Esieme, the deceased’s elder brother, demanded the release of his brother’s body to the family. He recounted the incident and expressed his desire to see his brother’s body for proper burial, fighting back tears.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, was contacted regarding the incident. She stated that she hadn’t received a report on the matter as she was engaged in a lengthy meeting. She assured that she would inquire with the Ogbogoro Police Division and provide an update, but as of the time of this report, no response had been received.
