Three officials of Edo State Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) got a close shave with death in the hands of angry commercial drivers at the weekend in Benin City.
The PUWOV officials were attacked near a popular tomato market at Aduwawa axis of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the State while attempting to arrest a commercial bus driver who was alleged to have picked passengers at an unauthorized location.
It was gathered that the driver of the vehicle had resisted arrest before raising the alarm that attracted other commercial drivers in show of solidarity with their embattled colleague.
It was further alleged that the mob soon overpowered the PUWOV members assigned to clear the area of menace and decended on three of them with cutlasses and bottles, while other members the public watched with glee.
The injured PUWOV officials were left for the dead by the mob which later included hoodlums.
Over three vehicles were reportedly vandalized while pedestrians were stranded for a long period of time as a resukt of the incident.
Shop owners around the premises were not spared during the brawl before the intervention of policemen who fired gunshots to scare the mob from killing the injured persons who were later taking to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
Edo State Chairman of Public Works Guards, Mr. Muktar Osagie, told newsmen that the intervention of Policemen on patrol who came from no where salvaged the situation.
Osagie, condemned the attacks, stressing that the injured had been taken to hospital for treatment.
He linked the proscription of illegal revenue collections and illegal ticketing which had restored sanity to the State to the incessant attacks on his members.
The visibly angry Muktar, stated that no amount of threats and intimidation will deter them from restoring discipline to the State against the wishes of those who are bent on tearing the connective tissue of decent society.
He commended the police for their prompt intervention, stressing that “if not for their intervention, some of our men would have been dead”.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Babatunde Johnson, confirmed the arrest of some suspects in connection with the attack.
He wondered why some members of the public would vent their anger on people assisting the government to maintain law and order.
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