Zainab Abioye
A commercial tricycle operator, identified as Mr Friday Ani, has reportedly died following an altercation with revenue enforcement officials at the Garriki Terminal in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The reported death, which occurred on Wednesday night, September 30, 2026, triggered a protest by hundreds of tricycle operators in the area on Thursday, disrupting commercial activities and forcing some transport parks in parts of the city to temporarily shut down.
Ani, said to be in his early 50s and a father of five, was reportedly involved in a dispute with officials enforcing daily ticket payments at the terminal before he was allegedly assaulted.
However, the precise circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, with different accounts emerging over what triggered the confrontation.
A source identified as Chika Emeh alleged that Ani was beaten during an altercation with individuals deployed to enforce ticket collection at the terminal.
According to Emeh, the incident began after a passenger being conveyed by Ani reportedly alighted before the tricycle entered the terminal.
The source claimed that an argument subsequently broke out, during which one of the task force officials allegedly struck the driver on the head, causing him to collapse.
Emeh said Ani died before he could be taken to hospital.
The allegation could not be independently verified by PLATFORM TIMES as of the time of filing this report.
The incident reportedly angered fellow tricycle operators, who took to the streets on Thursday demanding justice and calling for those responsible for Ani’s death to be identified and prosecuted.
The protest reportedly affected movement and commercial activities around Garriki and neighbouring areas.
The circumstances leading to Ani’s death have remained a subject of contention.
While sources cited a disagreement over ticket collection and the movement of a passenger as the immediate cause of the confrontation, the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, gave a different account.
In a statement, the NDC alleged that Ani was assaulted because a passenger he was carrying alighted outside the Garriki Terminal.
The party said Ani, who hailed from Umuatugbuoma, Akegbe-Ugwu, in Nkanu West Local Government Area, died after allegedly being struck on the head by a member of the terminal task force.
The NDC condemned the incident and called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
It also demanded the prosecution of anyone found culpable after a transparent investigation.
Ani’s remains have reportedly been deposited at St. Martin’s Mortuary, Enugu.
Reacting to the incident, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa expressed sadness over the death, saying Ani had left home to earn a living but did not return.
Ohaa, who spoke on behalf of Peter Obi and the NDC, condoled with Ani’s wife, children, relatives and members of the tricycle operators’ community.
He also accused the state government’s revenue collection system of exposing transport operators and small businesses to harassment and intimidation, a claim that has not been independently established by PLATFORM TIMES.
The NDC further alleged that the incident was connected to what it described as an aggressive revenue collection regime in the state.
The party urged Governor Peter Mbah to direct an immediate review of the activities of the Garriki Terminal task force and other revenue enforcement personnel.
It also called for a prompt and impartial investigation by the Nigeria Police Force.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as of press time.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, reportedly did not respond to telephone calls or a text message seeking clarification on the incident.
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