Youths In Ondo Community Engage Police Over Death Of Three Persons

By Ayodele Oni

Youths of Kajola Community in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State took laws into their hands when they attempted to lynch some Policemen and burn their station to protest the death of three of them.

The youths, in their hundreds, mobilized to burn the Police station in the area over what they described as police recklessness, which led to the death of three persons including a community chief (Baale).

The three deceased persons were reportedly killed at the Police checkpoint along Lagos/Benin Expressway on Saturday evening.

They dumped the three corpses at the Police Divisional Headquarters, Kajola, while they chanted series of protest songs to register their grievances and declared that they do not want to see police in the community again.

The victims, David Olowofeyekun, Gbenga Abayomi and Kola Akinduro, who was the Head of Korede Village, were on a motorcycle and heading home from their farms.

Sources alleged that the police officers in the community were fund of extorting and harassing the residents at the checkpoint, despite the order by the Commissioner of Police, Oyeyemi Oyediran to dismantle all checkpoints in the state.

One of the residents, Funmi Olowogboye, recounted that the Police stopped the deceased at the checkpoint on Saturday evening and in trying to halt an oncoming hilux van, the driver, while trying to escape, ran into the motorcycle.

Olowogboye lamented that the hilux driver crushed the three victims where they parked on the instruction of the Police officers, that wanted to collect money from them leading to their instant death.

A particular Police officer, popularly called Major, was identified as the ring-leader of the extortion squad along the highway and the community at large.

The rampaging youths demanded that the police officer, Major, be transferred out of the community, as he has spent over 17 years in the area without transfer.

The Community Leader, Chief Oloruntobi Maiyegun who spoke with journalists, said his quick intervention prevented the burning of the police station.

Maiyegun, explained that Amotekun and other security agencies were immediately mobilized to the scene to forestall break down of law and order. He enjoined the residents not to take law into their hands.

Also, the prompt intervention of the Police Commissioner, Mr. Oyediran, who had arrived the town before 8:00am on Saturday, Amotekun Corps and other security agencies,  calmed the situation.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, dispelled the recklessness report against the police, saying that the deceased flouted the traffic law and incidentally had an accident.

“It was not due to the recklessness of the Police officers, they took one way and they had an accident.

“So there was no way the Police can be reckless in a situation whereby there is a route to take and they took another one.

“Of course it was an oncoming vehicle that they collided with and died, it was not police recklessness there.”

The Chairman of Odigbo Council, Mrs Margaret Akinsuroju, said “Immediately I heard it, I started mobilizing police so that they could maintain peace so that there would not be breakdown of peace and orderliness.

“I heard the information that they were planning to burn the police station. They went there and heard that the family had dropped the three corpses at the police station. We pleaded with them that an accident had happened and it has happened.”

Akinsuroju, however, noted that there were two versions of the incident as the police narrated that they were killed by a hit-and-run driver and they tried to pursue it.

According to her, “the police on duty could not arrest the reckless driver and got back to the scene only to see angry mobs, who were trying to blame it on them and lynch them, but they escaped.

“Other people were saying they mounted a checkpoint and it led directly to their death. The tension was so high, having counselled them and appealed to them, I left the place.

“Along the line, I heard they were holding the police to ransome again, that they shouldn’t move an inch and even attacked the CP.

“Somebody said they threw something on him. But the CP said he was able to calm them down despite the odds and the place is quiet now.

“I have to call the leader of the community now, he said he was in Delta State. The advice I will give to our people now is that if this kind of thing happens, and a life is lost, we should not allow it to double to become five, six, seven.

“What if the police react? The police will not wait for them to attack them now? The police will want to defend themselves.

“I advised them to listen to the police men and take heart. The CP really tried and was able to manage the multitude.”

The council boss disclosed that the angry youths and bereaved families had given peace a chance, while the corpses had been removed from the station to be buried respectfully by their relations.