Motorists, passengers stranded as tanker drivers barricade road in Benue
Motorists and passengers were left stranded on the Adoka-Otukpo road following a protest by tanker drivers over alleged action of police personnel on stop-and-search duty, Thursday evening.
An eyewitness, who gave his name as Tahir Ahmed, said trouble started at about 2:20pm when a trailer-load of cows fell into a ditch while trying to avoid a police barricade.
“The vehicle I was in overtook the truck when a policeman at the roadblock suddenly threw a spiked tree trunk on the road to try to stop a trailer.
“Unfortunately, a cow-laden truck which was speeding tried to avoid colliding with the trailer in front, fell into a ditch and fell sideways, leading to the death of some cows.
“Some of the young men who were on top of the vehicle escaped unhurt, but they ‘arrested’ one of the five policemen at the roadblock after four escaped,” he said.
Residents along the route expressed fears that the police may have left the scene to seek reinforcement to forcibly remove the barricade and free the remaining policeman who was being held by the “driver’s assistants”.
A resident of the area, who identified himself as Ameh, expressed apprehension that the situation might lead to violence if not properly handled.
He said, “Some of the cows that survived have entered a nearby rice farm and have started grazing.
“The owner of this farm will not take kindly to this when he comes here.”
The Spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet could not be reached to confirm the incident as calls to her mobile telephone were not answered.
Motorists, passengers stranded as tanker drivers barricade road in Benue
