Protest In Ondo Leaves Three Dead As Policemen Shoot To Disperse Mob

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It was serious tension that took place in Akure, Ondo State on Wednesday after a police officer shot dead two persons while another died from an accident.

According to a report by Channels Television, those who died were two commercial motorcycle riders and a passenger.

Eyewitnesses said a bus driven by a woman knocked down and killed a commercial motorcycle rider.

This resulted in a protest by other commercial motorcycle riders who blocked the major road, leading to a gridlock in the area.

In the process, the angry motorcycle riders were alleged to have attempted to mob the woman who knocked down their colleague.

They were, however, stopped by the policeman stationed at a fuel station near to the scene of the accident.

However, the security operatives, in a bid to disperse the crowd, fired some gunshots into the air leading to the death of another motorist and a passenger.

He was also said to have fired the shot to escape from the mob who attacked him while attempting to rescue the woman.

The incident has since been confirmed by the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Funmilayo Odunlami.

She said the angry protesters later attacked the policeman who escaped from the scene, inflicting serious injuries.

“It was a road accident in which a woman driving a car hit and killed a commercial motorcyclist. Then a crowd gathered at the scene and was trying to mob the woman,” said Odunlami.

“The policeman then approached the scene to disperse the crowd and rescue the woman, but the angry crowd mobbed him. It was while he was trying to rescue himself that he shot into the air and incidentally, he misfired,” Odunlami said.

The protesters had set a bonfire on the major highway before the arrival of a team of policemen attached to the Division A Police Headquarters in the city.

The officers were able to pacify the protesters and douse the tension while normalcy was restored in the area.