The newly reconstituted Rivers State Taskforce on illegal street trading, on Monday, attacked a trader with machete at the Agip Flyover axis of Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt.
Eyewitnesses say the group of angry taskforce members in jeans and pink aprons, arrived at a shop adjacent the Agip Flyover and swooped on the owner of the shop and his goods.
Governor Nyesom Wike had in 2020 suspended the activities of the taskforce over reoccurring human rights violations and deaths. However, they were reconstituted on January 4th 2021.
It was gathered that the taskforce team drove to the shop in a white Ford ranger truck and packed in front of it, before rushing out, with some of them wielding matches.
They then began to harass the shop owner in a Gestapo-style, while some were busy carrying the items the shop owner displayed in front of his shop, such as glass tables, others were busy harassing him and trying to drag him by the trousers, into their vehicle.
This made passersby and motorists sneer with disgust at the attitude of the taskforce officials.
It was also gathered that the offence of the shop owner was that he displayed some of his goods in front of his shop.
Eyewitnesses said that despite every plea by the shop owner to leave him alone, the task force team refused to listen to him.
The source narrated: “The more he pleaded, the more they pushed him. They wanted to arrest and drag him to their Hilux Van but he was pleading. I was coming from Agip roundabout that time. You need to see how they were pushing the guy, as if he is a criminal. I don’t know whether they don’t want traders again in this state.
“I thought Governor stopped them before, now the have come back. And they now carry matchets. Do they want to be killing traders or what? I don’t understand o.” The source, a lady, said she couldn’t watch the scene to the end as she had to enter a vehicle to continue with her journey” .
