A Port Harcourt-based businessman, Mr. Terrance Abang, has been brutalised by officials of Yakurr Taskforce on Thursday in Ugep, after he stopped at Omilakwa petrol station to refuel his vehicle.
He suffered severe burns and called on the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, CP Aminu Alhassan, to compel the Yakurr Local Government Council chairman, Ofem Nelson, to fish out the attackers.
Narrating his ordeal in a telephone interview on Friday in Calabar, Abang said, “I stopped over in Omilakwa petrol station in Ugep community to fill my car tank while returning from Port Harcourt heading towards Ikom LGA.
“To my surprise, a group of young men surrounded my car just as I finished buying petrol.
“I heard them say ‘give us your car key’, probably because they saw some two aged women who accosted me as I was trying to buy petrol.
“The taskforce 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.”
According to him, he was beaten blue black and pinned to the hot bonnet of his car by about 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 enable him continue his journey to Ikom LGA.
In his reaction to the incident, the Yakurr Local Government Council Chairman, Mr. Ofem 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 the matter resolved,” Nelson said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Irene Ugbo said, “As we speak, the police are 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.”
