ABUJA — There  was mayhem at Nyanya, a sprawling slum located at the suburb of Abuja, the Federal capital city,  Sunday, as a result of an encounter  between a commercial motorcycle popularly called Okada rider  and a soldier.

According to a bus driver who simply identified himself as Emeka, a commercial  motorcycle rider who had parked his bike wrongly, close to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Nyanya,  was cautioned by a soldier and ordered to park it elsewhere.

Said he: “But the man refused to obey the soldier and even challenged him. The soldier decided to subject him to physical punishment.  The soldier asked the motorcyclist to lie down inside a nearby gutter.”

Okada riders and Army attack: a Christian victim attacked by Okada rider at the gate of The Apostolic Church Nyanya 1 Church retuning from Church as Okada riders took to the street over allege death of Okada Operator after been punished by Army at Nanya Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan

It was gathered that the soldier had forced the  Okada rider into the gutter.

However, the motorcyclist who was said to be a Muslim raised alarm that he had been forced to drink gutter water even though he was fasting.

According to Emeka, “the incident attracted other motorcyclists and passers-by.  As a result of this, motorcyclists  who gathered at the scene suddenly grew into a crowd and turned violent.”

Emeka said the mob attacked the soldier and other motorists who were within the vicinity.

He said: “I was driving my  bus through the area when they attacked me. They smashed the windscreen of my bus and hit me several times. I managed to escape.”

Another eyewitness told Vanguard that the soldier who was attacked escaped and reported the matter to  military authorities who promptly deployed soldiers to the area.