Hundreds of people from Akwa Ibom State on Friday barricaded the entrance gate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State over the death of their son, Asher Christopher.

The protesters who defied the heavy downpour to protest the death of the 23-year-old man locked the gate leading to the premises housing many parastatals of government.

It would be recalled that 23 years old Asher, reportedly died inside the premises of Nigeria National Petroleum Company(NNPC) Moscow road, Port Harcourt Rivers state on Tuesday.

However, the protesters came with different inscriptions like “We want Explanation on Asher’s Death”, “Who killed Asher”.

The angry protesters had earlier matched to the gate of Rivers State Police Command on the same Moscow, where the family representatives of the were invited into the command for a meeting with senior Police officers.

The protesters later matched to the NNPC headquarters where they sealed the gate with fresh palm frond and the picture of the deceased placed at the gates before they left for State CID.

Speaking, King Albert, the Coordinator of Akwa Ibom community in Rivers State regretted the death of Asher, noting that the firm has remained silent over the incident.

Albert said: “Our son Asher Dan Christopher came to work on the 20th of this month (August) only for us to get information that an incident that occurred as at 10am in the morning, we got information by 4pm that the young man fell from this upstair, this storey building and died.

“But the same people are telling us that they were not there present when the incident happened, we saw the clothes of this young man at fourth 4th floor while they are telling us that he fell from 8th floor.

“Now this people in question uptill date seized the corpse of the young man, refusing the family and the entire community of Akwa/Ibom people to see the corpse of this young man.

“So we are calling on the Commissioner of Police, the Rivers State Government, all respected individuals of this state to come into this matter because it is a matter of Akwa/Ibom state and Rivers State.

Albert noted that the Akwa Ibom State Givens is aware of the development and would come into the matter, stating that justice must be served in the death of Asher.

He said: “And Is very important because the Akwa/Ibom state Government is aware of this and they will definitely come into this matter.

“We need justice,we need an autopsy,we need to see the corpse of this young man,because they are telling us they will not allow us access to the corpse of this young man for fourteen days so that they we have access to do what they want to do.We need justice for Asher Christopher Dan.” (Vanguard)

•Barricaded entrance gate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State over the death of Asher Christopher.

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