Re: Tanker driver shot dead at checkpoint

While we commend the effort of your newspaper in the reportage of happenings in every nook and cranny of the country especially in the northern part, one would have expected that you do more to ascertain the veracity of your stories before going to press.We are the contractors handling the Rehabilitation of Wukari-Mutum Biu-Jalingo-Numan road […]

While we commend the effort of your newspaper in the reportage of happenings in every nook and cranny of the country especially in the northern part, one would have expected that you do more to ascertain the veracity of your stories before going to press.
We are the contractors handling the Rehabilitation of Wukari-Mutum Biu-Jalingo-Numan road Section 1 with our operational base/site camp about 500 metres on the left side of the checkpoint, where the unfortunate incident occurred. In fact, the tanker referred to is not a regular petroleum tanker but a water tanker used for road construction.
On this fateful day, the water tanker driver got to the checkpoint and met a commercial bus stopped by the mobile policemen in the middle of the checkpoint and, based on our earlier agreement that all our vehicles should be allowed to pass through all the checkpoints along the route of the project, the water tanker driver tried to manoeuvre the vehicle through the checkpoint and, in the process, slightly brushed the commercial bus. On seeing that attention had shifted to the tanker driver, the driver of the commercial bus quickly jumped into his bus and sped off to escape the payment for which he was being help up and this angered the policemen, who then vented their anger on the water tanker driver and beat him to a state of coma.
Our roller operator, who was accompanying the water tanker to the road, could not bear the maltreatment from the police, stepped up and accosted the policemen to ask them to stop such ill-treatment of his colleague. Instead of heeding his plea, the policemen descended on him and hit him with the butt of the riffle; he slumped and died on the spot.
The news of the death of the operator colleague of theirs filtered into our works-yard and all workers mobilized to the checkpoint and blocked the highway, demanding explanation from the policemen. The information got to the Assistance Commissioner of Police (ACP) Area Command, Wukari, who visited the scene and disarmed the police officer involved, handcuffed him and took him to the Area Command in Wukari. It was after this that the ACP and the O/C (officer in charge) MoPol at Jalingo pleaded with our staff members to open up the highway for road users. The staff obliged, after obtaining assurance that the officer in question would have to face the wrath of the law for his criminal act. The above represents the facts of the incident, which is very different from your published account. You will recall a similar publication by your newspaper sometimes in August, last year when it was reported gunmen killed an expatriate staff of PW construction firm and referred to PW as the contractors handling Wukari-Takum road, which we had to ask you to retract. We are worried by these unconfirmed stories.
A.O Ajala, Admin Manager, Moulds Nigeria Limited.

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