BREAKING: DOPT Officials kill road side Trader In Calabar

The officials of the Department of Public Transportation, DOPT, have allegedly killed a Trader identified as Michael in Calabar, Cross River State capital.

 We gathered that the Trader, who sells Mobile Phone accessories around Calabar Road by Macbite Fast Food, opposite Total Fuel Station and De Choice Fast Food, Calabar, was allegedly crushed to death by a DOPT van Friday afternoon.

According to an eyewitness who spoke with our Correspondent under anonymity, the DOPT officials were struggling to seize the items belonging to the Trader, who was later crushed to dead while trying to secure some.

The eyewitness said the Trader has a wife and 4 kids and they were at the scene as they watched their bread winner murdered in cool blood.

“I was alighting from a taxi by the Total Fuel Station Bus Stop and I saw the officials of the DOPT struggling with the Michael’s items (Mobile phone accessories) and when he gathered some and tried to run away, they chased him with their vehicle and crushed him. He stumbled and later died”, the eyewitness said.

Narrating further, the eyewitness disclosed that although, the Trader was warned, but that was at the expense of him trying to park his market.

“Some people said the DOPT approached the Trader and started shouting, ‘hey hey come here! Why are you selling here? We’ve warned you people not to sell anything here – are you not supposed to own a shop inside the market?’ But, as he was trying to park his things while pleading with them, that’s when they started beating him and eventually killed him.

“You have to feel sorry for his wife and children; how are they going to fare now that their bread winner is gone and untimely?” the source fumed.

Other sources said the corpse of Michael was taken by some Traders to the DOPT office, domiciled at Michael Ani Secretariat, opposite Governor’s Office, but were intercepted by some security personnel at NNS Victory by the State House of Assembly Complex gate. “The police later retrieved the corpse and deposited it at the morgue”, an eyewitness, Mary Edet said.

Our Correspondent further learnt that, though there are erected signposts of “No Street Hawking” by the DOPT around Watt Market by Post Office Bus Stop, African Club, De Choice Fast Food, but, there was none at the location where this incident took place.

When VOICE OF YALA  contacted the Chairman of DOPT, Mr. Godwin Nyiam, on phone Friday, his phone line was busy and later switched off at the time of filing this report.

PARADISE NEWS