Judex Okoro, Calabar
Tragedy struck the popular Watt Market in Calabar South as Department of Public Transportation (DOPT), pickup van crushed a trader in front of Calabar Post Office, near the market, while its officials were trying to enforce no road-side-trading law. This brings to two the number of traders that have died in the process of the agency fighting against the new trend of street trading in Calabar metropolis.
The latest incident, which took place on Friday in Calabar happened following an attempt by the deceased simply identified as Michael to stop the government agency from going away with his impounded wares around post office axis. The man, a father of five, was overrun by the agency’s vehicle that was trying to escape from mob attack.
It was learnt that Michael, angry that his wares were being taken away, jumped on top of the bonnet of the pickup van and was subsequently crushed by the vehicle. But an eyewitness who simply gave her name as Lizzy, disputed that account and said DOPT had arrived at the post office area and immediately started packing wares displayed around the roadside.
“They packed Michael’s slippers, which were in the wheelbarrow but the young man fell on his knees and started pleading with them to release his goods. It was at that point that two of the DOPT workers descended on him. They pushed him around in the course of which he fell down and the DOPT driver ran over him and he died instantly.”
“At that point, pandemonium broke out as everybody took to their heels, including the DOPT men. But some traders returned and decided to take the dead body to the DOPT office near the Governor’s Office.”