Delta motorcyclists demand justice for colleague killed at rally

Members of COMTOA protesting over the death of their colleague in Asaba. Photo credit Efecha Gold

Commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators in Delta State on Monday protested in Asaba over the killing of their colleague during Saturday’s political violence involving supporters of the Obidient Movement.

The protesters, under the Commercial Motorcycles and Tricycles Operators Association, marched from Summit Road to the Delta State Police Command headquarters, carrying placards and demanding the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the death of their member, identified as Chinaza Sunday.

Addressing the protesters at the police headquarters, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, Philip Adejo, assured them that the command would investigate the incident and ensure that justice was done.

He appealed to the operators to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their hands, assuring them that their petition had been received.

“We have received your petition. Sometimes self-help can become a serious problem. We sympathise with you; go home and rest because you will see results. It is not going to be like other situations,” Adejo said.

He urged the association’s leaders to meet with the police and provide any useful information that could assist the investigation.

“Your leaders can meet us, and if you have any strong information concerning this, you can come to us so that we can iron it out together,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the association, a member of its Board of Trustees, Okeoghene Kingsley, said the deceased was carrying out his legitimate business when he was killed.

He described COMTOA as an organised association that had operated in Delta State for more than 30 years, including during military administration and successive democratic governments.

Kingsley said the association had consistently worked to ensure orderliness among its members but expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the death of Chinaza Sunday.

“The young man that was murdered was at his duty post carrying out his legitimate duty, where he met his untimely death. As you have said, we want to believe that we have confidence in the Nigerian Police that they will do justice to this issue and those persons should be brought to book,” he said.

He added that the association was ready to provide the police with information, including video footage and details of people allegedly involved in the incident.

Kingsley insisted that the deceased was neither a criminal nor a political thug, stressing that members of the association were engaged in legitimate businesses.

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“Chinasa has not been an armed robber. He has not been a thug or a political thug. Everybody you are seeing here is going about our lawful duties. Nobody here is a thug,” he said.

He also maintained that members of the association had the right to belong to political groups of their choice, provided they operated within the law.

“Everybody here has the right to belong to anybody he likes to belong to because there is freedom of association, which includes lawful assembly,” he added.

Kingsley said the association would hold the police to their assurance that those responsible would be brought to justice.

The protest followed a violent incident on Saturday, November 7, along Nnebisi Road, Asaba, during a procession organised by the Obidient/OK Movement in support of the Nigerian Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

The incident reportedly left one person dead and five others injured.

The Delta State Police Command, through its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said it had received intelligence suggesting a likelihood of violence before the procession.

The police said the organisers were invited to a security meeting and advised against holding an open street march, but allegedly ignored the warning.

The state government also blamed the organisers for failing to heed the security advice, saying the confrontation could have been avoided if the procession had been moved to a designated venue where adequate security could be provided.

However, the Nigerian Democratic Congress rejected the explanation by the police and government, describing the incident as a deliberate attack on opposition supporters.

The party demanded an independent investigation, the arrest of those responsible and the public disclosure of the identities of the deceased and injured persons.

The police had earlier said the identities of the victims were yet to be established, while investigations into the incident were ongoing.

Monday’s protest by the commercial transport operators added another dimension to calls for an investigation into the violence, with the association insisting that justice must be served for its deceased member.