Monday, January 29th, 2018 – was indeed a tragic day in the city of Aba, when a tailor, Mr. Peter Duru, was mercilessly beaten to coma by soldiers and officials of Abia State Vigilante group aka Bakassi.
Duru, a well-known tailor at Number 88, Osusu Road, yesterday, received the beating of his life during a demolition exercise on Osusu Road in Aba South Local Government Area.
It should be recalled that the Abia State government gave residents in Aba whose building is close to drainage to cede at least 10ft space for road expansion.
But confusion trailed demolition exercise on Osusus road yesterday, when the government officials crossed the 10ft space ordered by the state government and demolished buildings that are beyond 10ft far from the drainage.
The confusion led Mr. Duru to be brutalized by Soldiers and Bakassi men, after he tried to enquire the reason behind the extension of the demolition beyond where it was initially marked.
An eyewitness told ABACITYBLOG that Duru was discussing with a member of the demolition team before disagreement ensued and attracted a soldier’s attention. While trying to escape, Duru and the soldier fell into the gutter.
This earned the man the beating of his life.
Duru’s maltreatment forced residents to scamper to safety. The road was deserted as passers-by abandoned the road while members of Abia State Vigilante group were hitting people with planks and heavy sticks. They also ordered everybody to vacate the road.
Residents who are close to Duru, said the victim who hails from Amucha in Njaba Local Government Area, survived a motor accident last month before he was beaten yesterday.
The tailor became unconscious and rushed to the hospital. Some residents said they were not against the demolition exercise, but were disappointed that the exercise led to the maltreatment on one of them.
“Before they came this morning (yesterday), this man they almost killed now in conjunction with most of us here volunteered and even helped people to knock down some places. We cooperated with government. We never resisted the demolition. He only asked a question to ascertain if the place marked in his father’s house is not beyond the 10 feet government said we should leave after the gutter.
“You were here; you saw it and heard it all. You saw how that Bakassi man was hitting him with stick and soldiers kicking him? They marked certain buildings last year, but last week, the other buildings which were not included were now included. This created confusion. Duru’s offense was that he tried to get an answer which was confusing all of us here. He is now in the hospital.
“We just pray he survives this one because, this man nearly died in a motor accident last month,” a resident said.
