Vendor hit by police vehicle abandoned in hospital

A newspaper vendor, Mr. Daniel Edet, at Ibiaku, in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State said to have been taken to a hospital at Nwaniba, Uyo Local Government Area of the state by some policemen, whose vehicle hit him, has been abandoned in the hospital.

The police vehicle hit the vendor during the last environmental sanitation exercise in the state on September 26, 2015.

Edet, who is currently writhing in pains in a bone-setter home in Ibiaku, told Southern City News on Sunday that he was going on his bike to distribute newspapers when a police vehicle hit him.

He stated that the vehicle, which was coming from the opposite direction veered onto his side and rammed over his bike with the van’s tyres running over his leg.

He said the hospital placed him on drip on a single occasion and charged him N20,000, which his father, Mr. Charles Edet, paid.

Daniel said as his parents could not raise enough money for him to be treated in the hospital, they had to move him to a native bone-setter home in Ibiaku.

“On Saturday, September 26, during the environmental exercise, I went out on my bike to distribute newspapers to some clients. A police vehicle was coming from the opposite direction at Ibiaku Uruan, the old Uyo-Oron Road. I never contemplated that the police wanted to hit me; the road is a little wide even though it is a single carriage way. I still cannot say what really happened. But I can recollect that when I was on the ground; my voice ceased and I could hardly envisage what transpired. I regained consciousness when I got to hospital,” he said. I am sad that members of the Nigerian Police Force could get the heart to hit a citizen with their vehicle, take him to a hospital and abandon him there.

Lying on the floor along with other accident victims, the vendor stated that life has not been easy with him since he was knocked down by the police vehicle.

He said his aged father could barely provide for the family needs, saying that his earnings from selling newspapers were always used to keep the home going.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Command, Cordelia Nwawe, ASP, said neither the Commissioner of Police nor herself was aware of the situation.

Nwawe said the commissioner of police had asked her to find out where the vendor was so that the police could pick up the bill.

She said, “I have called the commissioner of police and he said the issue had not been brought to his attention at any time. Please help us find out how we can get access to the vendor and if necessary the person who took him to the hospital so that we can know who is behind the incident. The commissioner has promised to take charge of the bill for the treatment of the vendor.”