Driver Kills Himself Over Police Extortion In Kaduna

A 30-year-old commercial bus driver in
Kaduna has killed himself, leaving a note in
which he said he decided to end his life over
alleged police extortion. Sunday Igwe took insecticide when he could
not bear incessant police arrest and
extortions, his suicide note revealed.
Sunday was hired as a commercial
bus driver by a man he named Henry in his
letter. In the note he said police arrested him on
several occasions over alleged traffic
offences but each time he was arrested the
police demanded money from him. A driver, who would not want to be named,
said before Sunday took his life on Sunday
policemen in Sabon Tasha arrested him
and detained his bus. They requested for
N2, 000 from him to release the bus which
he paid. Another group of policemen arrested him at Taiwo road over wrong
parking two hours later and demanded for
N2,000. “He could not afford the money the
policemen demand and left to inform the
bus owner. The owner of the bus told him
not to worry as they still stand a chance
to collect the bus on Monday but he
proceeded to his room located at No 27 school road Nasarawa in Kaduna South Local
government, wrote the shocking note and
took a local liquid insecticide popularly
called Ota pia-pia that led to his death.” A photocopy of the suicide note obtained by
Daily Trust reads: “Please Ozo, tell my Oga Henry to go and
look out for his bus at the Police station.
Tell him that am sorry for everything I have
cost him let him forgive me. It is not my
forth (fault). That is the way things should
go. Let them look for my conductor so that they can go together to biel (bail) his bus
and let them tell the police people what
happened.
“After crying explend (explaining)
everything to them but all their (they) need
is money and I don’t have it let them come and take my cops and relies (release)
someone bus for him. Anyway I have
nothing against them and let them read this
too. Thanks you Oga Henry bye.” When our correspondent visited Igwe’s
room, it was still emitting the smell of
insecticides. Chairman of Nasarawa branch, Nigeria Union
of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Kaura
Abdullahi told Daily Trust that his
Financial Secretary informed him on Sunday
that one of their drivers was arrested by
the police at Command Junction and collected N2,000 from him over wrong
parking. Daily Trust gathered that Sunday stayed for
years without a job before he was employed
as a busdriver.
His body was deposited at Dr Gwamna Awan
General Hospital and hospital officials could
not speak to our correspondent but said Sunday was Brought-In-Dead (BID). When contacted, Kaduna police spokesman
Aminu Lawan said they were investigating
the matter.
“From what we have gathered, he was
arrested because of road obstruction and
the policemen demanded him to produce his papers and drivers license which he said
he will bring. He left and did not return. We
have the letter they said he wrote and its
only investigation that will revealed whether
he was the one that wrote it,” Lawan said. On the allegation that the police received
money from him while another group
demanded N2,000 Lawan said they will
investigate and ensure that culprits are
brought to book.