On Sunday, youths in Kajola Community, Odigbo Local Government Area, Ondo State, took to the streets to protest the deaths of their community head and two other individuals.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Saturday evening at a police checkpoint along the Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway.
According to a source, the deceased were David Olowofeyekun, Gbenga Abayomi, and Kola Akinduro, the community head. They were allegedly riding a motorcycle when the police approached them and demanded a bribe.
According to the source, the deceased’s refusal to offer a bribe resulted in an argument between them, and they were ordered to park.
They were killed on the spot when a Hilux van collided with them on the road.
The three bodies were placed at the Police Divisional Headquarters in Kajola during the protest, according to reports.
To express their dissatisfaction, the demonstrators yelled a series of solidarity songs. They also stated that they did not want to see police officers in the neighborhood again.
They alleged that the policemen in the community were fond of extorting and harassing the residents of the areas at checkpoints.
The source said, “They (the policemen) stopped the deceased at a checkpoint on Saturday evening, and while trying to halt an oncoming Hilux van, the driver maneuvered to dodge the police and ran into the motorcycle.
“The Hilux driver crushed the three victims on the motorcycle where they were parking at the instruction of the police officer.”
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, and other security chiefs in the state arrived at the hamlet on Sunday morning to calm and appeal to the enraged youngsters, according to the source.
Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said the deceased broke traffic laws and caused an accident as a result.
Odunlami stated, “It was not due to the recklessness of the police officers, they rode against traffic and had an accident. So, there was no way the police could be reckless in a situation whereby there is a route to take and they took another one. It was an oncoming vehicle that they collided with and killed them.
Mrs. Margaret Akinsuroju, the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, said the enraged youths and grieving families had given peace a chance while the bodies were transferred from the police station to be buried by the deceased’s relatives.
“Immediately I heard it yesterday, I started mobilising the police so that they could maintain peace so that there would not be a breakdown of peace and orderliness,” she said.
