Butchers association boss murdered in Bayelsa

The Igbo community in Bayelsa State was thrown into mourning in the late hours of Tuesday following the gruesome murder of one of its kinsmen and chairman of the Bayelsa State Butchers Association, Mr. Chibuzor Nwachukwu.

He was ambushed and murdered on Tuesday night at his doorstep by gunmen who waited for his return from the market at about 8:00 p.m. He was shot with a single bullet that shattered his brain, killing him instantly.

The 42-year-old Chibuzor, who hailed from Nkanun in Enugu State, who is survived by a wife and four children, was killed on Ogilo Street, a suburb of Yenagoa infamous for cult-related violence and killings.

Residents told newsmen that the man was gunned down as he was about to enter into his apartment. Some of them said the manner of the killing shows that assassins murdered him.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, said the police have visited the scene of crime and investigation has commenced.

Meanwhile, residents of Mbierebe Obio community on the outskirts of Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital, have had their peace shattered since Tuesday evening following a protest by motorcyclists over alleged killing of one of their colleagues by policemen attached to the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Residential homes, including the office of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Uyo along Aka Etinan Road, were among properties torched with several vehicles belonging to government vandalized.

It was learned that the police went to the NTA station to make an announcement that the ban on motorcyclists was still in force when the angry Okada operators trailed them and vandalized part of the station.

Enobong Peter Ukpe, a tricycle operator along the Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard, where the incident took place, told journalists that the deceased was shot dead by SARS operatives trying to enforce the ban on commercial motorcycle operations on the Uyo metropolis.

“He (the deceased) had resisted the police who tried to seize his motorcycle for violating the ban on motorcycle operations in the Uyo”, he said.

But the PPRO in the state, Mr. Odiko Macdon, described the incident as ‘unfortunate’ and condemned the non-compliant attitude of the motorcycle operators since the ban was announced. He warned motorcycle operators to carry out their transport operations within the confines of the free areas and avoid straying into the restricted zones as directed by the state government.

Macdon also announced the re-imposition of the ban on motorcycle operations between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in Eket Local Government Area following the resurgence of violent crimes in the area.