Irate youths beat up police DPO in Ondo State after two motorcyclists are crushed to death

IRATE youths have beaten a divisional police office (DPO) within inches of his life in  Ilara Mokin in  Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State after two members of the community were crushed to death by a commercial bus.

According to eyewitness accounts, the deceased were on a motorcycle on the Ilesa-Akure Expressway when the 18-passenger commercial bus crushed them to death. Following the accident, local residents set the bus ablaze and attacked the security agents in the area with Wole Ogodo, the local DPO beaten up while trying to calm the angry protesters.

“The two men who were indigenes of the town were crushed to death by the bus that was travelling to Lagos. This infuriated the people of the town because they believed that the driver of the bus was reckless.

“They immediately organised a protest and burnt down the bus and blocked the highway, they also attacked policemen as they tried to stop them. The DPO was beaten up,” the eyewitness added.

Due to the incident, there was a gridlock on the expressway following the protests and it took policemen several hours to clear the road. Many motorists were stranded while the protest lasted with some taking alternative routes to their various destinations.

Police spokesman Femi Joseph, said: “There was a fatal accident which claimed two lives but the people of the community were unruly as they burnt down the vehicle and as the DPO was trying to prevent them from burning the vehicle, they overpowered him and seriously assaulted him. However, we have begun our investigation and we will still arrest those that set the bus ablaze and those that beat the DPO because they have committed another offence.”