There was commotion in Umuahia on Saturday following the blocking of Enugu-Portharcourt expressway while protesting the shooting of their colleagues by a security man. The shooting which happened at Ofeme area of Umuahia North, along Enugu-Aba-Port highway, was allegedly perpetrated by a security man, who shot a tanker driver and his conductor for undisclosed reasons.
News Echo gathered that the tanker driver and his conductor were heading towards the Umuahia end of the highway when they were stopped for searching by a team of security men. It was further gathered that the driver obeyed the STOP order by the security team but a disagreement erupted between the driver and a member of the security team. In the heat of the exchange of words, the security man allegedly pulled his gun and shot the driver and his conductor.
On noticing that their colleagues had been shot, drivers of long vehicles blocked the two sides of the expressway in protest. This situation led to a long stretch of traffic hold up stretching to Umuahia main town and Okigwe, Imo State. Travelers experienced hell while waiting for the road to clear as the long vehicle drivers insisted that those who shot their colleagues must be provided before they would vacate the expressway.
The drivers and their conductors accused Police and Army officers posted to the expressway of extorting and harassing them and called for an end to it. As at the 11: am when News Echo correspondent left Ofeme, the two sides of the federal road were completely blocked. Meanwhile, some drivers who spoke to News Echo said their colleague and his assistant had been rushed to a hospital for immediate medical treatment
