Man dies chasing truck to collect revenue

A 42-year-old man, Ikechukwu Ochi, has reportedly died Tuesday afternoon in Umuahia, Abia State capital while attempting to forcefully stop a moving truck for toll payment.

  An eyewitness, Martins Igwe, said that the incident happened around 1pm at the city centre, known as cooperative.

  It was gathered that revenue agents, allegedly hired by state government contractors, usually chase haulage vehicles at both entry and exit points of   Umuahia and Aba for tolls, ranging from N5,000 to N15,000.

  Igwe said the incident happened when the deceased allegedly accosted the moving truck, along with four others, but the driver refused to stop.

 “In a desperate bid to stop the driver, the man climbed on the vehicle, perhaps to get hold of the steering and force the driver to pull up.

  “Suddenly, the man fell-off from the vehicle with a heavy bang on the tar. “It was not clear what made him fall.”

  It was learnt that his colleagues immediately rushed and picked him into a mini-bus and took him to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

  He was said to have been “confirmed dead on arrival by a medical doctor on duty at the Accident and Emergency Unit”. A lady, who identified herself as his elder sister, said they hail from Otamkpa in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of the state.

  It was learnt that the hospital security alerted the Umuahia Central Police Station to arrest the four men that brought the deceased to the facility.A senior police officer confirmed the arrest on the condition of anonymity, saying they were kept in police custody for investigation.