By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Protesters mainly comprised of commercial tricycle operators in Awka, Anambra State, on Tuesday and Wednesday, took to the streets in protest following the death of one of their colleagues who was swept away by floodwater while reportedly attempting to rescue a woman during a heavy downpour.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Monday night around the Book Foundation/Miracle Junction axis of Ifite, Awka South Local Government Area of the state, where torrential rainfall reportedly caused floodwater to surge through the area.
It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified tricycle operator had noticed a woman struggling in the flood after she reportedly fell into a drainage channel, and he decided to intervene.
However, in the course of trying to help rescue the woman, the Keke driver reportedly lost his footing and was swept away by the rushing flood alongside the woman.
“While he was attempting to help the woman, the man himself was eventually overwhelmed by the flood and swept away with the woman. We watched helplessly as the flood carried them away. We could only hear their cries for help when that was going on, before their voices eventually faded off, and we could see or hear them anymore,” an eyewitness recounted.
While the fate of the woman and the whereabouts of her body remained unknown as of the time of filing this report, the body of the tricycle operator was reportedly recovered from a flood channel the following day (on Tuesday morning) around Miracle Junction where the flood finally dumped him.
The remains were subsequently deposited at Ebenebe Mortuary, according to accounts from residents of the area.
However, the incident triggered anger and grief among fellow tricycle operators, who later embarked on a protest through parts of Awka to draw attention to the dangers posed by flooding and poor drainage.
The protests were captured in videos currently trending on social media showing scores of keke riders moving through the streets, with some protesters carrying fresh leaves and singing while their colleagues followed on tricycles, repeatedly sounding their horns.
Some commercial tricycle operators who had been carrying passengers were reportedly compelled to drop them off and join the protest.
As at the time of this publication, government authorities in Anambra State had yet to react or make any official statement on the ugly incident that happened since Monday.
Watch the video below:
