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A Port Harcourt, Rivers State-based businessman, Mr Terrance Abang, was on Thursday brutalised by officials of Yakurr Task force in Ugep, after he stopped at a petrol station to refuel his vehicle.
He suffered severe burns and called on the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan to compel the Yakurr Local Government Council Chairman, Ofem Nelson to fish out his attackers.
Narrating his ordeal in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Friday in Calabar, Abang said, “I stopped over in Omilakwa petrol station in Ugep community as I was coming back from Port Harcourt heading towards Ikom LGA and I ran short of petrol.
“To my surprise, a group of young men surrounded my car as I finished buying petrol.
“I heard them say ‘give us your car key,’ probably because they saw two aged women who accosted me as I was trying to buy petrol.
“The task force guys clamped down on me, and began dragging my vehicle keys with me. One of them said ‘hand over your car key to our chairman.’ And I said ‘no’ because they were dressed in mufti. I resisted every attempt to seize the car key from me because I didn’t know who they were coupled with the fact that they had nothing to be identified with as officials of Yakurr Local Government Council.”
He added that he was beaten and pinned to the hot bonnet of his car by six able bodied Yakurr Taskforce officials and his back got severely burnt.
He said after realising that he had sustained injuries on his back, the touts jumped into a Toyota vehicle they drove and escaped, adding that he went to a police station at Ugep and lodged a complaint.
The police contacted the Council Chairman, Ofem Nelson, as the attackers had escaped, and the victim was taken to a nearby pharmacy where he was treated.
On returning to pick his car where it was abandoned, the battery had been stolen but the police were able to recover it for him to continue his journey to Ikom LGA.
In his reaction to the incident, Nelson said he wasn’t around the council area when the incident happened.
“I was not even in town. I was told an incident like that happened. I thank God that the matter was reported to the police who finally got it resolved,” Nelson said.
Contacted, the state police spokesperson, Irene Ugbo said, “As we speak, the police have yet to get full details of what took place. However, something would have to be done once we are able to unravel what transpired and ensure that those behind this crime are adequately punished.”
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