Commercial activities at the
Electrical Parts Market, along Okija Street in Diobu, Port Harcourt were disrupted Saturday following a clash between some members of the Electrical Parts Dealers Association and officers of the Rivers State Police Command.
The Tide gathered that trouble started when a team of Policemen from Mile I Area Command on patrol ordered a young boy carrying cable from parking shop  to stop.
Our source said the boy instead of stopping, ran away leaving the wire and the police chased him.
“Unable to catch the boy, the police  siezed the wire and threw it into their vehicle”, said our source.
As the police wanted to drive off, other electrical dealers came out and wanted to know why the policemen were taking the wire away and exchange of words and argument started”.
Sensing trouble, the police were said to had called for re-enforcement and a truck load of officers arrived the scene, while the electrical dealers also mobilised in larger number and barricaded the popular Ikwerre and Umuoji roads, thereby creating panic amongst members of the public most of who abandoned their vehicles and ran for their lives.
The Tide gathered that it took the intervention of some executive members of the association to get the irate members remove the barricade.
Not satisfied, according to the source, the dealers moved in their large number to the Mile I Police Station to see the DPO. The source said, on seeing the crowd of dealers, police men at the station sensed more trouble and began to shoot in the air.
The windscreen of the police  truck was touched during the fracas while two members of the dealers were arrested.
One of the electrical dealers, who identified himself as Vitalis decried the attitude of the police, saying they always come here to harass and intimidate us at the slightest provocation, they arrest our members. Enough is enough!
He explained that the young boy carrying the wire is a small boy who was brought in newly from the village. “So he ran away out of fear of being arrested”, he stated.
Vice president of the Electrical Dealers Association, Mr Ochomma Chukwudi confirmed the incident.
He said, cordial relationship exists between the police and the dealers and would want such relationship to continue.
“Though I learnt while the fracas ensued, some miscreants took advantage of the confusion to break the windscreen, but whichever, I condemn in its totality, touching of the truck and throwing of pure water on the policemen”, he said.
He also noted that due to the position of the electrical market, police men always come to arrest members at slightest provocation and called on authorities of the police command to prevail on those on patrol to recognise the fact that the area is a market where one can move his good from parking shop to where he sells or dash across to the next store of his friend or colleague to collect items to make up.
But he also said, he always warn members not to take laws into their hands. “If police stops you to find out anything, you don’t need to run. We have Police Relations Committee that can come for your rescue if you are arrested in error,” the vice president said.

Chris Oluoh

l-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Philip Aduda, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo and Minister of State for Power, Mr Mohammed Wakil, at the inauguration of the National Council on Power in Abuja last Thursday.