Youths set motor park ablaze in Imo over ‘killing of driver’s brother’

Youths from Irete autonomous community, on Tuesday, set fire to the Arugo motor park in Owerri, the Imo capital.

The youths, said to have numbered over 100, reportedly destroyed shops at the park over the killing of a bus driver’s brother in the area.

The victim, identified as Uzoma Onyeagucha, was said to have attempted to interfere when some persons arrested the bus driver,

The bus was intercepted along the Owerri/Onitsha express road by persons said to be attached to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.

The incident, however, degenerated into a free-for-all, which led to the death of the 45-year-old Onyeagucha.

In retaliation, the youths were said to have set the park ablaze, destroying several shops in the process.

Officials of the Imo fire service, however, later arrived at the park and prevented the fire from spreading further.

Speaking on the development, Sam Udeh, NURTW chairman in Imo, said the person accused of killing Onyeagucha is not a member of the union.

Udeh added that officials of the union were suspended last week by the commissioner for transport in the state.

He, however, expressed condolences to the family of the victim.

On his part, Rex Anunobi, Imo commissioner for transport, who was also at the scene of the incident, appealed for calm and assured the youths that justice would be served.