CALABAR – Five agile men believed to be taskforce personnel have allegedly brutalised an aged commercial driver in Calabar, Cross River State.
Converseer gathered that the ugly incident happened on Thursday at Marian Market in Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of the state.
According to eyewitnesses, the commercial driver identified as Edwin Ekwebelem was attacked by the said taskforce while he was trying to drop off a passenger. The suspected task force personnel were not wearing any vest but plain clothes.
“I was inside the vehicle; the driver stopped by to drop a lady with a child when about five guys just opened the vehicle, entered and tried to remove the key. As they were trying to remove the key, the man asked what has he done [sic]; the next thing, they said he should leave the key, but he said he wouldn’t. Before we knew it, they started beating him mercilessly,” the eyewitness said.
Narrating further, the eyewitness said the task force “Weren’t wearing any vest,” adding, “When we came out of the vehicle, we realised the man was bleeding seriously, we told them to leave the man and when they saw that people have started mounting pressure, they ran away and entered inside the market.”
Narrating what happened, the victim, Ekwebelem, said he did not disobey any traffic regulations. His son, Valentine Ekwebelem, alleged that the task force collected N15,000 from him that same day.
“I stopped to drop a passenger; I was coming from Efio-Ete. The woman said I should drop her at Marian Market – I didn’t drop her by The Young Shall Grow – I had to drive to the phase they marked for us to be dropping passengers – I cleared under the yellow line very well.
“They ran at me from both sides of the door, they put their hands and started dragging my key with me. In the process, one from the driver’s side punched my nose. They successfully collected my key, and when they saw that I’d started bleeding, they threw the key and ran away,” Ekwebelem said.
CTRA/100 Marian Boss claimed the perpetrators were not his boys. “…that they’ve been able to identify them as working for Calabar Municipal Council,” Radio host, Awade Friday said.
Also, the Director General of the Cross River State Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA), Effiong Umoh Esq., while speaking at Hit 95.9 FM Calabar, denied the taskforce team that beat up the driver.
Fingers have also pointed to Hon. Emmanuel Mbora, APC Chapter Chairman of Calabar Municipality, claiming the Council Chairman, Apostle James Anam, gave him a contract while he recruited the said task force.
However, the Media team of Apostle Anam, in a statement, denied the allegations that Mbora recruited the perpetrators, adding, “This assumption is completely unfounded. Hon. Mbora is a law-abiding leader who would never recruit or sponsor individuals to cause harm or disrupt public peace. Such allegations are baseless and should not be used to tarnish his reputation.”
The Chairman of Calabar Municipality, Apostle James Anam, has condemned the assault on the driver who drives a minibus.
According to a statement signed by the Chairman’s spokesperson, Oqua Etim, on Thursday, Anam “dissociates himself and the Calabar Municipal Council from the unknown persons who carried out the physical attack on the minibus driver under the guise of enforcing traffic rules.
“Apostle Anam stated categorically that the Calabar Municipal Council has not given anybody or group contract for enforcement of traffic rules, and the Council was therefore going to work with law enforcement agencies with a view to identifying and punishing those behind the assault of the minibus driver.”
Our Reporter further learned that it took the efforts of good samaritans, including Blessing Oharekpe, Richard Inoyo, Tom Alims, Richie Romanus, Allen Obonga, Khalitah Ndifon Ayak, to mobilise and take the driver to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). They also footed the bills.
Converseer reports that a similar incident happened in the same area during the tenure of the immediate past Chairman, Hon. Effefiong Nta Nke, where a commercial driver was beaten to a pulp.
Citizens are calling on Governor Bassey Otu to look into the matter with regard to the way the task force operates in the state.
