A commercial bus driver has been arrested over the alleged murder of a passenger identified as Tedus Ohawen in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
It was gathered that middle-aged man died after he was pushed out of the moving bus he boarded by the conductor during an argument along Wobo Street, Mile Three axis of Port Harcourt on Friday.
Eyewitnesses said the argument was because of N50 change which the passenger demanded from the conductor.
According to PUNCH, an eyewitness, a lady said the argument was so much that the conductor pushed the man out of the bus, saying when he fell, the bus driver hit the man with his vehicle, leading to his death.
“I went to the market to buy something along Ikwerre Road, I saw a man inside the bus and the conductor was dragging N50. The man told the conductor to give him his N50 change but the conductor refused. The next thing, the conductor pushed him out of the bus. The driver then climbed the man with the bus. The driver and conductor ran. Finally, the man died there on the road,” she narrated as the incident caused a gridlock in the area.
The Chief Security Officer of Diobu Vigilante Mile 3 Unit, Godstime Ihunwo, told newsmen that the incident occurred at about 11:30 am, adding that the driver and his conductor fled but the former was later apprehended.
“Today October 1st, at about 11:30 am, at Wobo by Ikwerre Road Junction, there was an argument between a bus driver, the conductor and a passenger. The man whose is Tedus Ohawen was having a little argument. The conductor pushed the passenger. The bus then hit the man and he died on the spot.
“The driver ran away with the bus. The conductor also ran away. But with the effort of the Nkpolu Divisional Police Officer, her squad and my vigilante men, we were able to apprehend the bus and the driver. Right now, the bus and the driver are at the Nkpolu police station,” Ihunwo stated.
The Youth President of the Rumuelechi Community, Okpara Christian, who also confirmed the incident said there was pandemonium as the youths were angry, but he was able to calm the situation.
Christian stated, “I asked everybody to remain calm because the security agencies were there to handle the situation. They were trying to move the body from the road because it is causing a lot of hold-up in our community here in Nkpolu-Orowurukwo.”