Metro

Tipper Drivers Block Major Routes In Benin, Protest Killing Of Colleague By DSS [PHOTOS]

Published

4 years ago

January 18, 2022

Tipper Drivers Block Major Routes In Benin, Protest Killing Of Colleague By DSS [PHOTOS]

The ancient city of Benin was thrown into confusion on Tuesday as tipper drivers in their hundreds blocked major roads, protesting the killing of one of their members by personnel of the Department of State Security. (DSS)

The blockade which was still on as at the time of filing this report, subjected residents going to Sapele Road and the GRA axis to trek far distance to beat the blockade before they could get vehicle going to their destinations.

The DSS operatives were said to be in two cars moving to theTipper Garage, Ikpoba Slope on one way traffic owing to an articulated vehicle which blocked the other lane.

While the tipper drivers were trying to regulate the traffic, unknown to them the second vehicle (Audi) was also occupied by DSS operatives.

According to Comrade Austin Uhuagho, Chairman of the Tipper Driver Association, Edo State, the DSS operatives were coming from an operation and when they saw that the road was blocked, they took one way and when the drivers identified the first vehicle as one occupied by the operatives, they allowed them to go, and asked an unmarked Audi to go back, this made the operatives to get angry and on getting down, they unleashed terror on the drivers and shot one dead there.

“This morning, there was traffic, and as usual when there is traffic, our people make sure the road is free, so the DSS vehicles were passing one way, so when the drivers found out they were DSS operatives, they asked the cars to pass, so the second one that was (an Audi) was refused passage and they asked him to go back, not knowing that it was them (DSS) that was inside the Audi.

“The drivers thinking that the car was a passenger car asked him to go back. The operative came out from the vehicle and punched the driver on the face, and his was face was covered with blood, and there he was shot dead, so when the drivers saw that their person was down they went mad, at the process, and that made the operatives to call for reinforcement, and when they came they started shooting randomly at everybody in our office, this made many to be injured,” he said.

The drivers took hundreds of their tippers to the DSS office blocking the entrance where the State Police Command and other security agencies are situated in Benin

Reacting, the Department of State Services (DSS) said the Service in a bid to free arrested kidnappers in Ikpoba Slope in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, were confronted by some hoodlums who wanted to free the kidnappers.

“We arrested three of their men who are involved in kidnapping and they decided to lay siege on us at the popular Tipper Garage by the Tenboga Junction to free them.

“The hoodlums, upon sighting the DSS operatives, pounced on them with guns and various dangerous weapons, at the process, our operatives sustained vary degrees of injuries from the attack while their vehicles were also damaged,” the source said.

Related Topics:#Benin DSS Tipper Drivers

Up Next

Police Recover Guns, Ammunition, Cash, Others From Criminal Hideout In Delta

Don't Miss

JUST IN: Scores Feared Dead As Gunmen Attack Kebbi Community, Burn Corpses

Comments

Metro

Sowore Arraigned Over Alleged Cybercrime

Published

20 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged cybercrime offences.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate, faced a five-count charge accusing him of defaming President Bola Tinubu by calling him a criminal in posts on X and Facebook. The DSS claims that his actions violate the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as the Criminal Code Act.

At the hearing, Justice Mohammed Umar granted Sowore bail on self-recognition. However, the court imposed strict conditions, barring him from making any statements capable of inciting the public or undermining national security. The judge warned that any violation of these conditions would lead to immediate revocation of his bail.

Justice Umar noted that Sowore, who previously contested for the presidency, was already under bail conditions with his international passport held by the court. He said these factors justified granting him bail without a monetary surety.

The arraignment on Tuesday came after two earlier attempts were unsuccessful. DSS counsel, Akinolu Kehinde (SAN), attributed the delays to legal obstacles introduced by Sowore’s defence team.

Sowore pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, also filed a fresh bail application during the proceedings, which the court considered before ruling.

Two other defendants — X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Inc. — are listed in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025. The DSS claims that these companies aided Sowore in publishing the posts allegedly containing defamatory statements against the president.

The case is the latest in a series of legal battles involving Sowore, who has in the past faced arrests and charges over his activism and online publications.

The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, under which Sowore was charged, criminalises the online publication of false statements that can harm individuals or public institutions. The law also empowers the government to hold social media companies accountable if they facilitate the spread of such content.

Sowore’s arraignment has drawn reactions on social media, with supporters describing the charges as politically motivated, while others argue that public figures must exercise caution in their statements online.

Metro

Alleged Cybercrime: Court Grants Sowore Bail

Published

20 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court, on Tuesday, granted former presidential candidate and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, bail on self-recognition, cautioning him to refrain from making any utterances that could incite the public against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Sowore’s bail followed his arraignment by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime.

In the five-count charge, Sowore is accused of allegedly making derogatory remarks about President Tinubu on his social media handles.

Sowore, who is the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to him.

Earlier in the proceedings, his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, had raised a motion challenging the competence of the suit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction.

The prosecution objected, stating they had only just been served with the processes and needed time to respond.

In a short ruling, Justice Umar held that the objection on jurisdiction was not ready for hearing because the prosecution was served that morning, adding that the defendant needed to give them adequate time to file a counter-affidavit.

He then directed that the charges be read to the defendant.

When the charge was read, Sowore pleaded not guilty; his counsel applied for bail on self-recognition. The prosecution, however, opposed the application, arguing that Sowore posed a flight risk.

Justice Umar, in ruling on the bail request, granted Sowore bail on self-recognition and adjourned the matter to January 19, 2026, for trial.

Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019, was accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Criminal Code Act by calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal

The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.

Metro

Delta: Suspected Kidnapper Killed In Gun Battle With Police

Published

1 day ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

A suspected kidnapper has been killed during a gun battle with operatives of the Delta State Police Command in collaboration with Community Volunteers in Obiaruku Forest.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer,SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.

“Operatives of the Command State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU), in collaboration with community volunteers, were on intensive patrol when they received credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers were mobilising within the Obiaruku forest to carry out an attack.

“Acting swiftly on the information, the operatives advanced towards the location to forestall the planned criminal activity,” the statement said.

According to Edafe, on approaching the area, the suspects opened fire from multiple directions in a bid to repel the team.

“The operatives responded with superior firepower, leading to the death of one suspect, while others escaped into the forest with various degrees of injuries.

“One AK-47 rifle with forty-two rounds of live ammunition, nine mobile phones, and charms were recovered,” the statement added.