The Ondo State Police Command has denied allegations that its men caused a road accident that claimed the lives of three indigenes of Kajola in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The command stated this on Sunday after scores of aggrieved members of Kajola attacked the community police station, accusing the policemen of recklessness and causing the accident.
One of those killed in the accident, which reportedly occurred at a checkpoint along Lagos/Benin Expressway on Saturday evening, was the community leader, Kola Akinduro.
Others were David Olowofeyekun and Gbenga Abayomi.
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The trio was said to be on a motorcycle heading home from their farms when they had a collision with an oncoming vehicle.
The residents blamed the “illegal” police checkpoint mounted by the policemen at the scene for the accident, accusing the policemen of extortion.
They dumped the corpses of the victims at the community police station and ordered the policemen at the station to vacate the community.
An eyewitness, Funmi Olowogboye, told newsmen that the accident occurred while the police officers were trying to extort the victims when a speeding vehicle trying to escape arrest crushed them to death.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, ASP Funmilayo Odunlami distanced the policemen from the accident, saying the victims caused the accident by commuting on a motorcycle that had no headlamp.
She added that the victims also plied a one-way route, leading to the collision with a speeding car.
“The death of the victims was not caused by the police, as been circulated. They died as a result of flouting traffic rules.
“The deceased were riding a motorcycle with no headlamp on a one-way route and had a head-on collision with a speeding vehicle. They have died now and are not able to tell the story.
“Youths should find a way of registering their grievances. Lynching police officers or burning down police station at every slightest opportunity is barbaric.
“Police are there to protect them, while there are several emergency numbers through which they can report issues to the police headquarters. They should not take laws into their hands,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted her to have said.