From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
There was pandemonium and confusion yesterday in Kaduna, as trailer and tanker drivers blocked the western by-pass expressway, to protest the manhandling of a colleague by soldiers at a check point along the busy road.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Musa Abba, said trouble started around Kawo junction, when the driver of the of the trailer was stopped very close to the Kawo overhead bridge and in the process
of interrogating him about what was in his trailer’s trunk.
However, according to the witness’ report, a senior military personnel drove past and the soldiers stood at attention to salute, adding that the driver seized the prevailing opportunity to move his vehicle forward even when the soldiers were shouting at the top of their voices.
“The driver moved his vehicle toward Mando road and when he got to the roundabout, he negotiated and moved towards the Eastern by-pass, on Nnamdi Azikiwe express way, whereby they caught up with him and one of them pulled out a jack knife which he used to puncture the trailer’s tyres. This did not go down with the other drivers on the express way and, as a mark of registering their protest, they turned-off the engines of their vehicles, thereby causing large traffic build-up.
All effort to reach the Army authority in Kaduna was not successful and the Army Public Relation Officer did not respond to text massages.
As at the time of filing this report, the drivers were still seen on the road and they said they will only move when they get justice for their colleague.
Commuters coming in from Abuja were forced to follow alternative route.
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