Four traffic officials arrested for allegedly killing University student over N30,000 bribe

Four officials of the River state Road Traffic Management Agency (TIMARIV) have been arrested by Police over alleged extra-judicial killing of a student of a State University Science and Technology in Port Harcourt, Mr. Tasie Nyenkethe.
The offcials were allleged to have murdered Nyenkethe, an an engineering student for refusing to give them a bribe of N30,000 when his car was stopped at the check point  on May 19, at the Rukpokwu axis of the capital city.
The four suspects arrested by police and detained at the State Central Investigation Department (SCID), were Benjamin Eremoni, Onyebuohise Ibe, Sunday Wobo and Ikechukwu Gideon.
Already, the accused persons have been arraigned on Monday, June 25, before a Port Harcourt Senior Magistrate Court, on a two-count charge of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The Charge No is PMC/1280c/2012.
However, a Human rights group,  Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), who narrated the incident to “Daily Post” also alleged that some top government functionaries made ”desperate moves” to secure the release of the traffic officials without prosecution.
The Chairman of the group Steve Obodoekwe who commended the Police for arresting the officials despite pressure from government quarters, said the deceased was violently attack by the officials.
CLO chairman said Nyenkethe, a 34 year-old man was beating to a pulp before he bolted away with his car.
According to him, ”The late Tasie was driving in his car, a Passat car with Reg No: Edo AG 573 AGD when the car developed faults which forced him to stop to find out what was wrong.
”As he opened the car bonnet to check what was wrong, the six TIMARIV officials, operating in a bus arrived and immediately pounced on him, pressed his head on the engine and started forcing the bonnet to close, beating him at the same time.
“They demanded the sum of N30,000, around $200, bribe from him. They accused him of wrong parking . When he tried to explain, they started beating him angrily.
“After the attack, the young man literally crawled home and went to bed. He never woke up again.
“His lifeless body was recovered from his room at Rukpokwu in the morning of June 21, when the family members, in conjunction with the Police broke into his house.
“He was taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where autopsy was done”.