No fewer than four persons were reportedly feared dead on Monday, March 18, following a clash between security personnel and northern youths protesting the alleged extortion by the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA).
The youths, under the aegis of Arewa Union in Asaba, stormed the office of the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA), in Asaba demanding to break away from the state-controlled body.
The Nation gathered that the youths stormed various parts of the Asaba metropolis leaving destruction in its wake, before moving to the office of COMTOA, on Summit Road, where they attacked members of COMTOA Taskforce, destroying vehicles, office furniture and made away with computers and other valuables.
Director-General of COMTOA, Uchenna Okafor (aka Kosoko) said: “The Arewa Community are trying to form their own union so that they can avoid paying money to the state government.
“Last week Saturday, we got information that they were about to set up a union that is different from the one the Delta State Government has inaugurated.
“We called the SA on the Arewa Community and the Sarki of Asaba and they denied it. At about 3.00 pm that day, it was discovered that they had already inaugurated their own Arewa Task Force and that was how it started.
“They started attacking people paying for tickets through COMTOA, chasing the task force and ticket sellers but we were not deterred because the revenue is for the government.
“Yesterday, we were around GRA with the Police to enforce the law against movement of Keke riders from 10.00 pm when we were attacked again and we eventually left the area.
“This morning, about 300 Arewa tricycle riders came to our office to attack us with cutlasses, guns, and other arms. They broke doors, windows, stole laptops, generators and phones. They also ran away with bikes”.
Coordinator of the Arewa Community on sale of tickets, Hashima Abubakar, condemned the youths for violent protest and appealed to them to negotiate instead of perpetrating violence.
In a post on X formerly (Twitter), Edafe said: “They are policemen deployed to quell an on-going protest against one of the state taskforce in Asaba pls.”
In another post on X, he said: “There was a violent protest this morning by Okada riders who had an issue last night with the state task force that led to the death of two persons. They mobilized in their numbers this morning, destroying properties and beating people, hence our men were deployed to control the situation before it turns to something else.”
