Abuja, Oct. 23, 2024 (TheGavel)-In a gripping testimony before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Mr. Williams Akporeha, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), recounted a violent encounter with 20 Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) that left him fearing for his life. Akporeha appeared as a witness in an ongoing trial involving multiple charges, including attempted murder, breach of peace, and assault.
The case, filed under suit number FCT/HC/CR/042/2023, centers on the alleged attack carried out by a group led by former PTD National Chairman, Lucky Osesua, alongside 19 other defendants. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge. The alleged assault targeted Akporeha, NUPENG General-Secretary Olawale Afolabi, and another official, Augustine Egbon.
During the hearing, Akporeha testified about the events that unfolded on November 3, 2023, when he and his colleagues, including the NUPENG Deputy National President, Solomon Kilanko, arrived at the PTD office in Abuja, which also serves as NUPENG’s liaison office in the capital.
He narrated how upon their arrival, the entrance gate remained inexplicably closed, which raised their suspicions. “I saw Osesua, along with two other defendants, Humble Obinna and Dayyabu Garga, standing by the gate,” Akporeha told the court. He added that Osesua and his accomplices called on others who were stationed across the road to join them.
As he and Afolabi attempted to enter the premises through the pedestrian gate, the group allegedly turned hostile. “Immediately they saw us, they started shouting ‘thief, thief,’” Akporeha testified. What followed, according to him, was a brutal assault, with Afolabi being forcefully dragged out of the premises and attacked.
“The defendants were shouting, ‘we will kill them and nothing will happen,’” Akporeha stated, describing the chaotic scene. “I was afraid for my life when I saw the violence inflicted on Solomon and Afolabi. I knew my life was in danger.”
He further explained how he managed to seek refuge in the office of the PTD Chairman while the attack raged on outside. Meanwhile, his driver, Peter Raymond, hurried to the nearest police station to report the incident.
The presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, has adjourned the case until November 20, 2024, for the continuation of the hearing.(NAN)
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