Colleagues protest as Rivers official beats driver to death

Stranded commuters trekked to their destinations during a protest staged by commercial bus drivers on Monday after one of their colleagues was allegedly killed by members of the state Task Force on Street Trading and Illegal Motor Parks. The protest, which was joined by taxi drivers, called for the abolition of the task force in the state.

According to Metro, the deceased driver—whose identity had not been confirmed at the time of this report—had parked his bus on Sunday to allow passengers to disembark. Task‑force officials intervened, leading to an altercation that escalated into a scuffle. One official allegedly beat the driver severely; he was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries. News of his death sparked outrage among his friends and colleagues, who gathered in the Rumuokoro area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area to voice their grievances.

The demonstration disrupted traffic, leaving many passengers stranded while others were forced to walk to their destinations. One protester, who wished to remain anonymous, urged the government to ban task‑force operations in the community, stating, “We don’t need any task force again. From Rumuokoro, Igwuruta down to Rukpowu, we don’t need any task force again. The annual tax in other states is not up to N5,000, but here in Rumuokoro we pay more than N580,000 annually. Not only that, when you come to Port Harcourt, the state government approved only one ticket—N300 for small vehicles and N400 for larger ones—but all the local government areas in the state produced many tickets and stickers.”

Speaking to reporters, Oloja Coleman, state secretary of the Drivers Welfare Association, said, “Most of them are not even recognised in Rumuokoro, Igwuruta and Rukpowu. Somebody will just put on an apron, come out to the road and start harassing drivers.”

Grace Iringe‑Koko, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident and said the perpetrator had been arrested. “They were having an argument, and one of the task‑force members beat the driver up. He was taken to the hospital but died on Monday. The task‑force member has been arrested and is presently in police custody. The investigation is ongoing.”