Police kill driver, motor boy in Ogun
Sylvester Idowu in Warri and James Sowole in Abeokuta
Palpable tension enveloped Ogulagha community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday as soldiers attached to the Forcados terminal allegedly killed a 27-year-old man identified as Endurance Oweiye Kalaepele.
In a similar development, confusion ensued yesterday in Itori area of Abeokuta-Sango-Lagos Expressway in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, following the killing of a truck driver and his motor boy by yet-to-be-identified policemen.
The incident led to protest by youths of Itori who barricaded the highway and disrupted vehicular movement on the busy road.
THISDAY gathered that the young man killed in Burutu was shot twice at closed range by the soldiers at about 10 p.m. on Monday.
Sources disclosed that the deceased was among six others who were returning from snail hunting in the bush close to the terminals when the incident occurred.
The Youth President of Ogulagha Community, Mr. ThankGod Iyaragba, has decried the incident, noting that the youths of the area were angry and wanted to resort to violence but for the quick intervention of the elders and leaders of community.
Iyaragba explained that at about 10 p.m. on Monday, six of the community boys went to the bush behind Forcadoes Terminal, the Pipeline bush, for snail picking, but were intercepted on their way back by the military men adding that one of the boys, Endurance, tried to run out of fear but was shot twice at close range.
“This prompted the infuriated youths of the community to go on a rampage destroying company vehicles and property. They have also taken over the major roads in the community to express their anger,” he narrated.
Effort to get the reaction of Ogulagha Community Chairman, Mr. John Bebapere, proved abortive but the community’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Seimode Opupu, confirmed the incident.
Opupu said that calm had returned to the area following the intervention of the community elders and leaders, which calmed frayed nerves on the part of the angry youths.
He disclosed that both the community leaders and senior military officers in charge of Forcadoes are already brainstorming on how to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the policemen on patrol accosted the driver, who was driving the truck against traffic to avoid the bad portion of the road in Ewekoro Local Government.
According to an eyewitness, arguments broke out when the policemen, asked the truck driver to turn back, but he refused and they shot his tyres.
“This led to an altercation and at the end.”
For hours, commuters were held in traffic without for several hours, which forced many motorists to use bush parts, when there was no end in sight till about 4:30 p.m.
Reacting to the development, the Ogun State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that “perpetrators of the dastardly act though were security operatives but are not policemen, saying that the victim is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
Oyeyemi in a statement said, “the attention of Ogun state police command has been drawn to various news headlines in both online and print media in respect of the unfortunate incident which happened in Itori area of Ewekoro Local Government on Monday, June 27, 2022, in which a truck driver was shot by yet to be identified security operatives.
“Most newspapers as well as online platforms have reported that the victim was shot by policemen and that the said victim has gave up the ghost.
“The command, for clarification purpose, wishes to state that the perpetrators of the dastardly act are security operatives but not policemen, and that the victim contrary to what many news media reported is alive and currently receiving treatment in a hospital.”
Oyeyemi added that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lanre Bankole, had visited the victim in the hospital.
He vowed to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to book within the shortest possible period, describing the action is a flagrant display of impunity which has no place in the laws.
He added that the command is already on the trail of those security operatives who shot the harmless victim, and their identity would be made known to the public as soon as they were apprehended.
