By Newsmata
Bolt drivers under the aegis of E-hailing Drivers on Thursday protested the killing of one of their colleagues, Henry Osarodion Osemwhenkhai, in Benin City, Edo State.
The bolt drivers, who took their protest to the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Press Centre, in the GRA, called on the Police to investigate and bring officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to justice for alleged gruesome murder of their member.
The protesting drivers who displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Enough of the Brutality by Security Agencies,” “Enough is Enough, Bolt Drivers Are Not Slaves,” and “Justice for Henry”, expressed displeasure at the incident.
Narrating how Henry was killed, their spokesman, a bolt driver, Festus Nwabuzor, disclosed that the deceased had gone to drop a passenger at De-Kaso Hotel, situated along Limit Road, off Sapele Road, when one of the lodgers at the hotel, who almost hit his vehicle came out and started beating him.
He said instead of officers of the NSCDC, who were providing security at the hotel to resolve the issue, they joined the lodgers to beat the driver.
Nwabuzor called on the Nigerian Police and other relevant authorities to carry out proper investigation into the matter, with the aid of the hotel’s close circuit television (CCTV) camera and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Another bolt driver who spoke on the development, Rosor Ruben, appealed to the state government to wade into the issue and ensure that justice was served in line with the present administration’s commitment to protect residents of Edo State.
When contacted, the public relations officer of the Edo State Police Commend, CSP Moses Yamu confirmed the killing, and told newsmen that four officers of the NSCDC had been arrested and were in police custody.
Yamu said Edo State Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, had ordered proper investigation into the matter before they would be charged to court to face the full wrath of the law.
The police spokesperson assured Edo people that the police would ensure that the matter was followed to a logical conclusion such that justice was not just served but seen to have been served.