Operatives of Eliparawon Police Station on Monday, September 22, rescued a male minibus driver, popularly known as a Keke bus operator, from alleged mob action by teachers of a secondary school located along Elo-lam Avenue, off Udara Junction, Egbelu/Ogbogoro Road, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
An eyewitness, Chukwuemeka Obodo, a member of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, told reporters that the incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. when a crowd gathered following reports that the driver had taken a female secondary school student into his vehicle.
“When I arrived, I saw teachers of the school beating the young man, they claimed the girl is a minor and that they had warned the driver previously. I asked them to call the police and stop the assault, but they ignored me,” Obodo said.
According to him, the teachers bundled the driver into his vehicle, drove him back to the school premises, locked the gates, and allegedly continued the assault in the presence of students and onlookers.
“They inflicted serious injuries on him. I had to alert the Station Officer at Ozuoba Police Station, who immediately dispatched a patrol team,” Obodo explained.
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A police patrol team arrived at the scene and intervened, stopping the assault. The officers subsequently took the driver into custody, along with the female student, while instructing the school principal and two teachers to report at the station with the driver’s seized phone.
Obodo, who condemned both the driver’s alleged actions and the mob attack by the teachers, called for justice. “If it is established that the driver has been unlawfully taking a minor out, he should face the law.
“At the same time, the teachers who locked him up and beat him must also be held accountable. Two wrongs cannot make a right. We want a Nigeria where the law stands tall and straight.”
As of press time, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command had yet to respond to enquiries regarding the incident. However, a video sighted by our correspondent showed the injured driver sitting in his vehicle with the female student beside him inside the school compound.
