Abuja police chase tricycle rider to death

  There was confusion on Thursday in the Gudu area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, after a yet-to-be-identified tricycle rider was burnt to death in his tricycle.

  PUNCH Metro learnt that the police were chasing the victim when he had an accident.

It was gathered that the residents of the area and friends of the victim began a protest until soldiers were deployed in the area to disperse the crowd.An eyewitness, Bonario Nnags, told PUNCH Metro that the incident happened around 6.30 am. He said, “It was around 6.30 am. The policemen, who were in a van, were pursuing a keke NAPEP (tricycle) rider. As he was riding very fast, he suddenly lost control of the tricycle and the woman he was carrying fell out of the tricycle.

 “Later, the tricycle somersaulted and caught fire almost immediately. The impact of the accident must have prevented the rider from escaping. When the police saw what had happened, they fled.”He added that nobody could identify the victim as he was burnt beyond recognition. Nnags said the action infuriated passers by and other tricycle riders who witnessed what had happened.They were said to have trooped out on the street to protest against the death.

  PUNCH Metro learnt that soldiers and policemen were mobilised to disperse the crowd, as they fired tear gas canisters at the protesters.The corpse was said to have been evacuated from the road by the police.But the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, attributed the accident to over-speeding by the deceased rider.Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, has ordered a full scale investigation into the incident.The CP in a statement advised motorists in the FCT to always exercise restraint and observe speed limits to forestall avoidable accidents that could lead to death.

  The statement reads, “The FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, has enjoined commuters plying the roads within the Federal Capital Territory to always exercise restraint and observe speed limits in order to forestall avoidable accidents that could lead to injury, loss of lives and property.“He stated this after an unfortunate lone accident involving a tricycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP, today at Gudu.“The tricycle, which was on top speed, lost control, somersaulted and then went up in flames.“As a result, an individual believed to be the rider was burnt beyond recognition.