The troubled town of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital was again thrown into confusion as members of the Keke-Napep (commercial Tricycle) riders took to the streets in violent protest following what they described as “deliberate killing” of their member and a passenger.
Eyewitnesses said that the West End area where the incident took place was filled with smokes from burnt tires as youth groups barricaded most of the roads in the area.
Soldiers continued to shoot in the air to disperse the protesters who have mobilized themselves and heading towards Dandal police station with the aim of attacking it.
One of the witnesses who spoke with our correspondent, Muhammadu Maduba, said that the police officer shot the driver after his first shot missed him and killed the passenger sitting at the back of his vehicle.
“There was a road blockage around the West End area and the tricycle rider refused to heed the order of the police man to turn back and take the other route, so the police man fired his gun while the tricycle rider and his passenger were trying to move on.
“But the bullet missed the driver and hit the passenger. Upon realizing that his passenger had been hit, the tricycle rider stopped and the policeman walked up to him and fire at him; the driver too slumped and died at once”.
Other members of the Keke Napep riders Union, after seeing what happened to their colleagues, decided to protest the killing by taking to the streets and burning tires.
Some of them headed towards the Dandal Divisional Headquarters of the Police force, making soldiers who were deployed to the area to begin shooting into the air.
Follow Us