OBIO/AKPOR, Nigeria – Tensions flared in the Ogbogoro area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria, on Thursday, June 8, 2023, when a man working for a local task force reportedly punched a tricycle driver, Esikak Esieme, to death following an argument over a N200 ticket levy.
Task force officials allegedly stopped Esieme, who was transporting a passenger, and demanded the levy.
Esieme explained that he had just begun work for the day and did not have the required amount.
An argument ensued, and one of the task force members, known as ‘Osisi’, allegedly punched Esieme, causing the 39-year-old driver to collapse.
Esieme’s colleagues immediately transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The tragic news sparked outrage among tricycle drivers who then began a protest against daily harassment and extortion they claimed to experience at the hands of Osisi and his group.
The drivers vividly recounted the incident leading to Esieme’s untimely death.
In response to the tragedy, the angered drivers temporarily halted operations and marched from Ogbogoro to the complex of a popular radio station – Cool/Wazobia/Info FM in Port Harcourt, demanding justice for their fallen colleague.
Ivumba Friday, the President of the Tricycle Union in Ogbogoro Community, accused Osisi of instigating the deadly altercation.
Friday described Osisi as a ‘cultist’ and ‘hoodlum’ who has consistently made life challenging for the tricycle drivers.
As of now, it remains to be seen how local law enforcement will respond to the allegations and demands for justice.
