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Arinze was working with the Arab Construction Company in the state before his death on Thursday.
NE learnt that they were working at the construction site of the new Workers’ Secretariat in Enugu when Lateef pushed the deceased from the second floor of one of the buildings.
“The incident occurred around 11:30 am today (Thursday),” said one of the workers at the site.
Declining to reveal his identity, he also said, “The white man identified as Abdul Lateef, from one of the Arab-speaking countries, is a superior worker with the construction company.
“He and the deceased were on the second floor of one of the buildings under construction, when they had disagreement on how a particular work should be done. The white man, for reasons best known to him, pushed the deceased down.”
He added that there was uproar in the company yard as other workers wanted to lynch the expatriate, but for the timely intervention of the police from the state headquarters, who whisked him away to safety.
The police headquarters is about 200 metres from the site. Our correspondent gathered that Arinze was later rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
Reacting to the development, the Civil Liberties Oraganisation, in a statement signed the South-East Coordinator, Olu Omotayo, said the suspect should be tried for murder.
In the statement entitled, “Unlawful pushing to death of a Nigerian working with Arab Contractor Construction Company by an expatriate Supervisor of the company,” the CLO coordinator said Lateef should be tried for murder.
The statement reads thus: “The Civil Liberties Organisation, South-East zone, condemns the pushing to death of a Nigerian simply identified as Arinze, working with Arab Contractors Construction Company at their construction site of the new Enugu State secretariat, in front of the State Police Headquarters, Enugu.
“We thank the police authority for their timely intervention. We condemn this barbaric act in all ramifications.”
“This is not the first time we are receiving complaints of torture and brutalisation of Nigerians by foreign workers working with some of these construction companies.
“One of such was the case of Miracle Willy, a worker with Setraco Construction Company, who was brutalised by his superior, an Arabian at the company’s’ Mpu site.
“The Arabman even went further to direct the security men attached to him to further torture Willy for allegedly stealing something at the site.
“Despite our intervention, nothing was done by the company to redress the wrong; instead Willy was dismissed from work. All these show how Nigerians have always been treated with disdain by these so called expatriates in the construction companies.”
“We condemn the brutal killing of Arinze and demand that the police charge Mr. Abdul Lateef for murder. Nigerians cannot continue to be treated like animals in their own country.”
At the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command was yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident.
nigerian eye
They say the Arab guy has been arrested.
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