By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
It was confusion on Monday at Moniya area of Ibadan when one Okada rider was allegedly killed and two others shot by policemen attached to the Moniya police station.
Also, five of the protesting Okada riders are now in police custody following their arrest while protesting the death of their colleague
Eye witness account said the Okada rider met his untimely death when one of the police on patrol in the area flagged him down for allegedly carrying two passengers but refused to stop.
The policeman on sensing that the Okada rider was attempting to escape reportedly hit him with a baton on the head and the Okada man fell off the bike and died on the spot.
Irked by the sudden death of their colleague, other Okada riders in the area invaded the Moniya Police station chanting anti police songs as well as
threatening to burn down the police division if the said killer police was not handed over to them.
An eye witness account said it was at this juncture that in an attempt to scare the protesting Okada riders that the police fired tear gas as well as shooting into the air that two of the Okada riders were hit by stray bullet.
Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP, Adekunle Ajisebutu while confirming the death of the Okada rider, said the Okada rider ran into a big pot hole, he fell, sustained injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died and not that he was hit by the police.
“Due to a stop and search embarked upon by the Police, an Okada rider who was carrying three passengers refused to stop as ordered by the security officers. While trying to escape, he ran into a big pot hole, he fell, sustained injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died” he said.
SP Ajisebutu added that “as a result of this, other colleagues of the dead rider attacked an upcoming police patrol vehicle, and seized an AK47-rifle which was later recovered. Not done with that, they headed straight to Moniya division police station, threatening to burn down the station.
The DPO of the station briefed that five suspects were arrested. There was no incident of shooting at any of them or case of them sustaining any injury. Later, the DPO held a peaceful meeting with their association and NURTW around the area”.
He stressed that “normalcy had since returned to the area as the Commissioner of Police enjoined the citizens to go about their normal duty without taken law into their hands.”
