One Tunde, a member of the Delta State Revenue Task Force team, has allegedly strangled a Keke rider, Augustine Williams, to death.
Popularly known as Osama, he reportedly strangled Williams during a heated argument over non-payment of a daily levy of N400 in Sapele.
He was said to have stopped Augustine’s tricycle demanding the daily revenue levy, along Awolowo area in Tuesday night.
Anonymous sources, disclosed that it became a heated argument as Tunde attempted to seize the tricycle key.
In an attempt to stop him, Augustine grabbed Tunde’s hand, as the situation degenerated into a brawl.
Tunde was alleged to have grabbed his neck causing him to collapse in distress.
“He was shaking uncontrollably and we managed to revive him briefly before rushing him to the hospital,” an eyewitness said.
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Doctors were said to have declared Augustine dead on arrival.
The incident, sparked outrage among onlookers, with fellow Keke drivers citing daily harassment and extortion at the hands of the revenue task force.
The embattled riders who had mobilised to hit the streets for protest however dispersed when the police stopped them.
Meanwhile, the Commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association, COMTOA, Sapele Chapter, has denied involvement in the killing of the victim.
A statement signed by the union’s vice chairman, Destiny Uhria, said the suspect involved in the killing of the Keke rider was not their member.
“The association is using this medium to inform the general public that the so-called person is neither a member of the association nor a member of the task force,” he stated.
The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, confirmed that a suspect had been arrested by the police in Sapele and was being held in detention.
