There was total chaos at the Tin Can Island Port Complex of the Nigerian Ports Authority yesterday when a trigger-happy police officer attached to the RORO division of the Nigerian Police force shot a truck owner simply identified as Alhaji Dan jos.
Shipping Position Daily correspondent who was at the scene reported that port operations were also disrupted for several hours and everyone took to their heels in safety as members of the Road Transport Employee Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Tin Can Chapter protested the shooting of one of their members.
In a reprisal attack, the angry truck drivers had pounced on the police officer who is yet to be identified and had beaten him up. He however escaped, leaving behind the cartridge of his AK 47 riffle. Heavily armed mobile police officers subsequently stormed the scene of the commotion while shooting sporadically into the air to scare away an angry mob.
The shooting also disrupted an ongoing meeting of the Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) as the shot truck driver; Alhaji Dan Jos was also a part of the meeting. He was reported to have excused himself briefly before the gun shots were heard.
According to an eyewitness, kabiru Alaba, the police officer shot Dan Jos after he challenged the officer for urinating on a truck parked in the garage.
He continued that after he was challenged, he called his colleagues who came from the RoRo division with arms which he used to shoot the truck driver.
"The police officer was urinating on one of our trucks when Alhaji challenged him, it later led to altercation and he called his colleagues from the division who came and shot Alhaji at the thigh."
Confirming the rift to our correspondent, the RTEAN Chairman, Tin-Can Isiaka Olalere told our correspondent that one of his members, Alhaji Dan Jos was shot at the thigh.
He said, "I have just been told now that one of my members have been shot by a police officer, am going to the garage to put everything under control” he said
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Maritime Command, ASP Sadik Olatunde said he was not aware of the crisis at the port.
He however said he will get across to the Divisional Police Officer to stem the violence.
"I will get across to the DPO at the command to put everything under control."
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