GUO, a prominent transport company, has shared a harrowing account of one of its drivers being viciously assaulted by political thugs, allegedly under the command of Ossy Onuko, an aide to Anambra State governor Chukwuma Soludo, for the sole reason of overtaking their convoy.
Last Friday, unidentified individuals claimed to be escorts affiliated with the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Agency, Onuko, physically assaulted a commercial driver who dared to overtake their convoy.
Shocking viral videos of the incident unfolded at the UNIZIK Junction in Awka, the state capital, clearly showed the escorts attacking the driver.
In response to the disturbing videos, outraged residents denounced this heinous act and urged the state Governor to reprimand his appointees, emphasizing that such behavior was unbecoming of “responsible public office holders.”
A concerned resident and human rights activist, known only as Paschal, called upon the Inspector General of Police, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services, and all human rights advocates to intervene and protect defenseless citizens.
Meanwhile, GUO, the transport company, has expressed its determination to take legal action against the government official allegedly involved in this brutal incident.
The company affirmed that its driver was subjected to a merciless beating with a machete on Onuko’s orders, leaving passengers traumatized as they helplessly witnessed the horrifying assault.
GUO issued a statement declaring,
“We assure all concerned citizens that we will seek legal redress, to ensure that such acts of inhumane treatment of citizens do not keep occurring.
“We have also seen the statement from the press secretary of the Anambra State Government. We are surprised that they would want to defend the atrocious act meted out to our driver today.
“They justified this atrocious action of theirs by contending that it was our driver’s recklessness that led to his being beaten with a machete and terribly brutalized. The false narrative they put out without speaking to our driver or the passengers in the vehicle that witnessed the whole incident speaks volumes.
“We call on the Executive Governor of Anambra State to condemn the conduct of his officials and constitute a panel of inquiry into this incident to curtail the excesses of his officials and avoid a repeat of similar incident which could possibly have led to loss of lives and chaos in the state.”
Conversely, the governor’s aide, Onuko, issued an apology in a statement regarding the incident, while disavowing his presence in the convoy. He said,
“I have been inundated with calls and messages from well-meaning friends, colleagues and ndi Anambra over a video clip that has gone viral on social media regarding an altercation between a GUO driver and myself, the Managing Director/Cheif Executive Officer of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority.
“I take full responsibility for all that, and I also apologise to the young man, his company GUO, and my friends and well-wishers who have been embarrassed by my association with such act.”
He however clarified that:
“I was driving in the company of two civil defence officers seated in the back seat of my Toyota Hilux vehicle, there was no convoy.”
| Sahara Reporters
