Tanker drivers block Lokoja-Abuja highway over colleague’s killing

Tanker drivers yesterday blocked the Abuja-Lokoja highway to protest the alleged killing of one of their members by officials of the state revenue board.

Daily Trust learnt that the revenue officials stopped the truck driver who was coming from Abuja axis and heading to the Southwest to demand payment of N5,000 revenue before allowing the vehicle to pass.

It was further gathered that a heated argument ensued between the revenue officials and the driver, and one of the revenue officials allegedly used an object to hit the driver in the head which led to his death.

Other drivers who witnessed the development went berserk, blocking the major road linking the South with the North around the Jamata axis of Murtala Bridge.

The development led to a traffic gridlock for hours which took the combined efforts of the army, police and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps to clear and allow for free flow of traffic.

The state president of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Owners, Alhaji Abubakar Ali who also confirmed the development, said a tanker coming from Yobe State was accosted around 1am yesterday shortly before Jamata bridge by the men of the Kogi State produce revenue collectors demanding N5,000 as the amount payable for passing through the state.

Spokesman of the Kogi State Police Command, Williams Aya, confirmed the incident.

He however denied knowledge of the death of the driver or anyone else at the scene, adding that the police in collaboration with other security agents were working hard to bring the situation under control.