Union official kill Bricklayer with charm ring over #400 daily ticket in Abeokuta

Pandemonium in Abeokuta as Union official kill Bricklayer with charm ring over #400 daily ticket

There was pandemonium in the city of Abeokuta on Wednesday when a ticketing official with a commercial motorcyclists union allegedly killed a bricklayer, Ibrahim Raji, with a charmed ring.

The Union official popularly known as Sempe, was said to have attacked the victim for failing to pay the sum of N400 daily levy by commercial motorcyclists, around 7:30 a.m at Iyana Mortuary, Ijaye area of Abeokuta.

The protested okada riders took to the streets and stormed the Ibara police station, Abeokuta where the suspect was detained by policemen following his arrest.

It was learnt that the deceased bricklayer was survived by four children, a wife and a mother.

His remains had been deposited at the mortuary of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta.

The protesters also stormed the Union Secretariat at Quarry road to show their annoyance.

A middle-aged man, Emmanuel Dosunmu, who identified himself as the apprentice of the late bricklayer, said the deceased was not sick before the incident.

Emmanuel disclosed that he was billed to meet with him (Ibrahim) at Iyana Gbangba on the fateful day to jointly carry out a building project.

He said, “The deceased was my boss. He called me yesterday (Tuesday) and asked me to meet him this morning at Iyana Gbangba for a project. I was going to the place when I got information about the incident.

“What happened was that he had an argument with the ticketing official who was demanding N400 ticket from him. My boss said he was not an Okada rider and will never pay such money. In the process, the tout punched him in the chest with a charmed ring.

“He fainted afterwards. The ticketing official and his colleagues at the scene said he (Ibrahim) was only pretending. But it was the TRACE (Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps) officers at the scene that rushed him to the hospital where doctors confirmed him dead.”

Also speaking, another resident, Mrs Idayat Adeolu, urged the state government to cancel ticketing in parks and junctions, saying failure to do so will continue to precipitate crisis.