“My life is in danger”- Keke Operators Chairman who escaped gunshots in Anambra cries out
The Chairman Keke Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, Awka Zone in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Prince Collins Ozojiofor and his team at the weekend escaped gunshots attack at the popular Aroma Junction.
The incident occurred after Ozojiofor led a few selected Zonal and Branch Chairmen of the Association to an adjudged peaceful solidarity visit to Governor Chukwuma Soludo at the Government House, Awka.
Narrating his ordeal to Journalists, Ozojiofor, who doubles as Co-ordinator, Anambra State Keke Ambassadors, raised alarm of threats to his life, pleading for Soludo’s intervention.
He revealed that his members had been having uncontrollable security challenges in the State, involving Keke operators in the Awka South Local Government metropolis and environs.
He said, “Before now, some of the bad eggs in the Keke industry in the area have been using Keke to rob, kill and perpetrate cult related activities in the Local Government Area.
“When government came up with its profiling policy for all Keke riders in the area and routes identification, we were very happy with the new policy because it will help us in no small measure to differentiate the real Keke owners and riders from the bad ones who use Keke to perpetrate all kinds of evil, crimes and criminalites in the area.
“We were surprised when, suddenly we started hearing that some group of people, due to their collective selfish interests and who were championing that the Keke riders in the Local Government Area should be paying N35,000 for installation of tracking device on their Keke staged a kangaroo protest against the security profiling policy of the Government at the State House of Assembly Complex, Awka with a view to confusing the general public by feeding them with false information about the Keke profiling policy.
“It was on this basis that we saw the need to stage counter solidarity visit to the Governor in his office to make the general public understand the true facts behind the introduction of the Keke profiling policy for the security, safety and protection of lives of the poor Keke riders in the area.
“Of course, they came to realize that those who were opposing the Keke security profiling policy were the ones committing crimes in the Keke industry in State.”
Describing the outcome of their solidarity visit to Soludo in his office as very successful, Ozojiofor, who affirmed that the visit afforded them opportunity to make their collective support to the Keke profiling policy known to the Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, who promised them he would do the needful by making their voice heard by Mr. Governor.
“I was still at the Government House trying to sign the two letters I wrote to the Governor when I received a distressed call that some unidentified individuals were at Aroma Keke park extorting and collecting money from the Keke riders as well as destroying the Keke seats of some of the riders who were not forthcoming in the payment of the money.
“I was lucky enough to have gone to the scene of the incident with the Chief Protocol Officer of the Chief of Staff, Mr Mike who voluteered to follow us to the park to see things for himself.
“On getting there, I saw a man with gun while the other person was holding a marker, marking the names of the Keke riders who paid him N300.
“I reminded the Vigilante officials that Mr Governor is not aware of their acton capable of bringing bad image to the Government and that as Vigilante and Security officer, he was not supposed to carry gun while collecting tax, enforcing Government revenue or extorting money from their members.
“I was trying to video the whole scene to have enough evidence when one of the Vigilantes placed a call, while the officials told me that one Comrade Osita Obi instructed them to kill us and they immediately started shooting at us directly.
“We had no alternative than to run for our dear lives. There was a police woman in the Keke I boarded who also had to run for her dear life. The facts are there for verification.
“My life is currently danger. I plead with Governor Soludo to look into the matter. Should anything happen to my life, Comrade Osita Obi, his cohorts as well as the Vigilante officials in the park should be held responsible because he collects money in the park and knows the Vigilantes by their names.”
Administrative Officer of the Association, Mr. Nnaji Ekenedilichukwu also confirmed the gun shots attack on them by the Vigilante officials alleged to have been deployed by Comrade Obi and the Managing Director of the OCHA Brigade , Mr Celestine Anaere, whom he said instructed the Vigilante officials to shoot at them sporadically.
“We appeal to Governor Soludo’s intervention in the matter to save our lives as one the Vigilantes attached to the park is threatening to kill me boosting he know me personally.
Reacting, Managing Director of the Ocha Brigade, Mr. Celestine Anaere, who spoke through phone call, exonerated himself from the allegations.
“I don’t know what Prince Ozojiofor is talking about. People should go out there to find out who Prince Ozojiofor really is,” he said.
On his part, Comrade Osita Obi, who introduced himself as the Co-ordinator, Recover Nigeria Project, said nobody shot at Prince Ozojiofor and his team at Keke Park Aroma Junction on the said date.
“I didn’t command the OCHA Brigade to shoot at anybody. What I learnt after seeing the Police PRO, SP Toochukwu Ikenga is that the Vigilantes were shooting into the air and Prince Ozojiofor and his team ran away.
“Ozojiofor came with a group of boys to terrorize the Keke operators at the park after their so called solidarity visit to the Governor and the Vigilantes have to defend themselves.
Obi also described the N35,000 payment by the Keke operators as the brain child of the Anambra State Internally Generated Revenue Board for adequate monitoring of the Keke riders to enable Government know when they were on duty or the days they were off road.
Efforts to reach the PPRO proved abortive as he could not pick the calls placed on him at the time of filling this report.
Post a Comment
Let know your opinion on this story