Pandemonium erupted Wednesday on Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos, when dozens of truck drivers attempting to access the Apapa seaport went on the rampage over the death of one of their colleagues and set the Diamond and Sterling Bank branches on fire.
The aggrieved drivers had targeted the banks, following the death of their colleague who was allegedly shot by a riot policeman attached to the Diamond Bank branch on Creek Road.
It was gathered that the policeman, a sergeant attached to the Mobile Police (Mopol) unit of Lion Building, Lagos, had fired shots at the trailer drivers who as usual had blocked the entrance of the bank.
According to an eyewitness report, the drivers had used their trucks to block the entrance of the bank, an action that drew the ire of the bank’s management.
The policemen who were attached to the bank at first approached them to move their trucks in order to give access to the bank’s customers entering and exiting the bank.
When attempts to get them to comply proved abortive, one of the policemen shot sporadically into the air to scare them off.
However, one of the expended bullets hit one of the drivers, who bled and died on the spot before help could come.
Angered by that move, other drivers regrouped and after setting Diamond Bank ablaze, also set the neighbouring Sterling Bank branch on fire.
Attempts by men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Iponri, who rushed to the scene to put out the raging fire were rebuffed by the drivers.
It was gathered that the firemen had to leave the area for fear of getting lynched by the drivers and their fire trucks vandalised.
Meanwhile, the policeman who fired the shots and six other hoodlums who tried to capitalise on the situation to rob the banks, have been arrested.
Although the corpse of the trailer driver was deposited at the morgue of the Apapa General Hospital, the sergeant in his preliminary statement had pleaded self defence.
According to him, he shot the driver in order to defend himself, adding that the deceased had first stabbed him on the leg with a dagger, which prompted him to shoot him in self-defence.
Following the incident, it took the efforts of some soldiers deployed from the Signal Corps of the Nigerian Army to douse the situation and restore sanity to the area.
Their efforts were complemented by men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, led by their commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
While the soldiers doused the situation, the policemen moved in to prevent hoodlums who had tried to loot the banks and vandalise some cars parked within the premises of the banks.
Also at the scene afterwards to douse the fire were firemen from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and NPA riot policemen.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior police officer said: “Those trailer drivers are very irrational. When the policemen attached to the first bank (Diamond) shot at the tanker drivers, they regrouped and stormed the bank in anger.
“They were said to have first demanded that the policeman who shot their colleague be released to them. When their demands proved abortive, they took the law into their hands.
“They contributed fuel from their trucks and set the bank ablaze. The entire situation caused a stampede, as both workers and bankers scrambled to escape through the back of the bank to safety.
“The drivers were still on rampage in the first bank when they heard that the policeman had taken refuge in the next bank.
“Armed with that information, they simply went over to the said bank and carried out the same carnage, irrespective of the presence of innocent bystanders.”
He added that the incident would be treated as arson, given the evidence of several burnt computer sets, air conditioners and other properties of the banks destroyed by the fire.
When contacted, the Command Information Officer, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lieutenant Commander Chinwe Umar, confirmed the incident.
She said: “When the information filtered in, we deployed some personnel from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, our operational unit, to the scene to help douse the situation.”
Also contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said: “The situation is under control and we have taken charge of the environment.
“We have obtained different accounts from eyewitnesses of what happened and it will help us ascertain the true picture and aid our investigation.
“Currently, at the scene of the accident are the Area B Commander and Apapa Divisional Police Officer, with complement of the RRS.”
