BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN—PANDEMONIUM broke out, weekend, at Ibillo, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Edo State, when angry motor cycle riders, popular known as Okada riders, set the police station in the area ablaze, following the killing of one of their colleagues.

The angry Okada riders, alleged that their colleague was killed by a police officer because he refused to part with an amount of money, which the officer requested. The bike riders barricaded the Abuja-Lagos Road for several hours to revenge the death of their colleague.

As they did not see any policeman to vent their anger on, they stormed the  Ibillo police station  and set it ablaze after they freed the detainees.

According to eye witness account, the policemen attached to Ibillo Police Divisional headquarters shot a bike man to death at a check point in Ekpesa Junction, because the bike man refused to pay the normal N20 to the policemen at the check point.

It was during the argument that a Police Sergeant, who is popularly called Yellow, fired the shot that killed the bike man, who hails from Imoga community. The killing resulted into a fight between the policemen and bike men in the area.

Another eye witness, Shola Iyogun,  said that it took the intervention of the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the council, Anselm Agbabi, who had to cancel his journey to Abuja for the wedding ceremony of the eldest daughter of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, for matters to be brought under control.

“The clash erupted between both the police and Okada riders at the police station, when the riders stormed the station to bail one of the bikes, that was arrested by the police.

“They demanded for N2,000 for the release. The bike men complained that the police extortion was unbearable because three bikes were arrested and they reported to the union executives, who in an attempt to secure the bail of the bikes at the police station got locked up by the police in Ibillo.

The police tear gassed them but when resisted, the police started shooting and the mob set one of their vehicles ablaze.

One person was shot dead and three others severely injured and presently responding to treatment and recuperating at the hospital in Ibillo.”

The state police command spokesman, Mr Peter Ogboi could not be reached, yesterday, but a senior police officer at the Command confirmed the incident to Vanguard and hinted that “we are already investigating it.”