Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

There was pandemonium in Okaka area in Yenagoa metropolis as angry mob beat a Keke (tricycle rider) to death after he allegedly stabbed his passenger to death over minor argument of N50.

The incident, which happened at the Saptex junction of the ever busy Mbiama-Yenagoa road at about 5pmyesterday, caused heavy gridlock at the expressway, with many people running for safety as the mob moved towards the Amarata axis.

The Keke rider, who is said to from the Northern part of the country reportedly stabbed  the young man in his lower abdomen and attempted to flee before he was apprehended by the mob.

He was subsequently beaten to death and his body set on fire when they found out that the man he stabbed has given up the ghost.

The Bayelsa State Police Command has to deployed Anti Riot squad to restore normalcy as youths were mobilising to storm places occupied by Northerners in the state capital.

In a statement by the Command’s Spokesman, Asinim Butswat, the Command condemned the action of the tricycle rider and appealed  to members of the community to be calm.

Also in a statement, the Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa State,  Udengs Eradiri, condemned the trending act of violence that led to the alleged stabbing to death of  the young man.

Eradiri described the incident as a careless wastage of a precious life in the state and called on security agencies especially the police to immediately intervene to avert possible breakdown of law and order.

Eradiri appealed to the youths especially the people of Epie-Atissa, whose son was killed in the incident, to remain calm and avoid the temptation of taking laws into their own hands.

The former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, urged the people not to capitalize on the incident to engage in ethnic profiling of their neighbours.

He said the Ijaw, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo among others had lived peacefully together as brothers and sisters and that the irresponsible act of one person should not be used to judge others from his ethnic group.

But Eradiri insisted that the assailant must be fished out and made to face the wrath of the law to act as a deterrent for persons, who might fail to put their provocation in check.

He said: “The life of everybody in this state matters and no act of provocation should lead to taking of any life. The police must investigate the incident, arrest the culprit and ensure that he is publicly tried and made to face the wrath of the law.

“May we avoid the temptation of capitalising on the incident to engage in ethnic profiling of our neighbours. As Ijaw we have continued to live peacefully with Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba among others and we consider them as our brothers and sisters.

“We can only isolate criminal elements among us without using their acts to define their ethnic backgrounds. This is where we call on security agencies to diligently do their work to calm frayed nerves. We sympathise with the bereaved family and the entire people of the state.”