A commercial driver has bit off and swallowed the finger of an Ebonyi state taskforce officer on Tuesday.
The driver engaged in that act to escape arrest, state officials said.
The taskforce official identified as Iboko Kenneth, was trying to enforce traffic laws at the Onuebonyi Junction in the Abakaliki metropolis, when the incident happened.
The officials of the Ministry of Capital City Development and the taskforce team were on an inspection tour within the state capital to stop illegal parking and loading.
Commercial transport companies operating in the state had penultimate week relocated to Akubaraoha Central park, a new park provided for them by the state government.
The driver was among those spotted at the Onuebonyi Junction, illegally loading passengers, it was revealed.
It was learned that when the taskforce attempted to arrest him, the driver was said to have bitten off the finger of one of them.
The taskforce officer was taken to the emergency unit of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
The Commissioner for Capital City Development, Chief Onyekachi Nwebonyi, said the incident was terrible, unexpected and barbaric.
He said five drivers were arrested and would soon be arraigned.
The commissioner said: “It is very unfortunate that a driver can attack a law officer who is trying to organise the state to the point of chopping off his finger. This is terrible, unexpected and barbaric.
“So, I want to plead with the motorists not to pull our legs because the taskforce is not weak and we do our job within the confines of the law, but for a driver to chop-off a taskforce finger is unacceptable and I assure you that we will get to the root of the matter, it will not happen again.
“We are not using force but the problem is that our people are stubborn particularly the motorists, some of them anyway. I want to commend some of the transport companies for their cooperation so far that led to the peaceful relocation of the parks within the city to the central park known as Akubaraoha Abakaliki Central Park. If you go there now, the park is very peaceful, businesses are going on, no complain.
“As the government, we are doing our best to fence the place and put internal roads and other social amenities.
“But we have discovered with dismay that some drivers are bent on operating from the streets instead of doing the needful and by joining their colleagues at the central park.”
