Rivers Police Deny ‘Keke’ Driver’s Death In Custody

The Rivers State Police Command has denied that a ‘Keke’ driver died in its custody at Woji Estate Police Division in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The state command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, told newsmen, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, that the deceased had a fight with a vulcanizer, which resulted in the death of PraiseGod John, the ‘Keke’ driver.
Omoni strongly argued that the ‘Keke’ driver died as a result of an issue he had that led to a fight with the vulcanizer, Goodwin Jegede, which resulted to the suspect stabbing the deceased to death.
He said the vulcanizer and those suspected to be involved in the murder have been arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigations.
The command’s spokesman also warned the protesting ‘Keke’ drivers’ union not to take laws into their hands by vandalizing properties over the death of one of its member, PraiseGod John, as the law does not recognize self-help.
However, the cousin to the deceased ‘Keke’ driver, Godbless Monday, had earlier alleged that his brother died at the police station, asserting that after the fight with the vulcanizer, he was rearrested by the police and was only confirmed dead in the hospital where he was rushed to.
Monday said that the DPO seized his phone while he was making calls to alert civil society organisations (CSOs) of the incident.
It was learnt that after the late ‘Keke’ driver was asked to go on bail, he found out that the tyres of his ‘Keke’ were deflated and was asked to use the services of “official police vulcanizer”, who charges suspects of impounded vehicles an exorbitant rate as compared with other vulcanizers in the state.
The exorbitant charges for pumping the deflated tyres led a heated argument and a fight.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana