Rivers Taskforce Men Kill Trader

Three men suspected to be members of Task force for the Rivers State Environment Sanitation attacked and killed a 50-year-old female trader along Obi Wali Road, Port Harcourt, today in a minor scuffle.

According to an eyewitness account, the three men who were wearing reflective vests bearing Rivers State Environmental Sanitation demanded for the evidence for the payment of sanitation levies, which she produced instantly.

Not done, the men,  bent on extorting money from the woman, started impounding some of her goods, claiming that they were displayed near the road side.

Also one of the daughters of the deceased who gave her name as Esther Ngbene  said: “The task force  people asked my mother to produce her receipts for Environmental Levy, which she produced instantly. They were somehow disappointed that my mother had all they wanted. Later, they started carrying her goods claiming that they were displayed by the roadside.

“My mother disagreed with them and started dragging the load with them. To forcibly impound the goods, one of them hit her and my mother fell. All attempts to revive her failed and the men took to their heels.”

When contacted, Nnamdi Wokekoro, Chairman of Environmental Sanitation Authority said the use of task force had long been outlawed by the authority.

“Those men are impostors and acted strictly on their own. Security agents should track them down and prosecute them.”

Mrs Rita Innoma-Abbey, spokesperson of Rivers State Command Police said the matter had been reported to the command and was  under investigation.

Meanwhile, Esther is calling on the government to apprehend the killers of her mother and bring them to justice.

—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt