2 killed, patrol van set ablaze as police, motorcyclists clash in A/Ibom
The violent clash between angry motorcyclists and police surveillance team in Eket, Akwa Ibom state has claimed two lives while a patrol vehicle belonging to Eket Divisional Police Station was burnt on Tuesday following a clash between the police and commercial motorcyclists.
An eyewitness, Emman Okposin said the police surveillance team in effecting the ban on commercial motorcycles chased the operators away while impounding their motorbikes.
Okposin said, trouble began last Sunday when a member of the commercial motorcycle operators association was shot dead by the police while chasing them from the road.
However, he said the incident that caused them to revolt occurred on Monday, when a policeman assaulted a commercial motorcyclist leading to him being in coma before the victim was rushed to hospital.
He said the victim identified as Udo from Idung Udoe died while receiving treatment at Immanuel General Hospital, Eket.
Read Also: Submit yourself for justice sake, Dakolo tells Pastor Fatoyinbo
He said the youths and all motorcyclists took the corpse to Eket Local Government Council and later to the police station as the council Chairman, Frank Archibong was not available to address them.
Okposin said the police prevented them from entering their station and they returned the corpse to the mortuary.
He said all the motorcyclists and the youths regrouped, moved to a police checkpoint mounted along James Town Road and set a police patrol vehicle ablaze.
Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Mcdon confirmed the incident, but explained that 19 persons have been arrested in connection with the violent protest.
However, Mcdon denied the death of any person in the incident, but confirmed that a police patrol van was set ablaze by irate motorcyclists.
