Tragedy as Bus Driver Running from Revenue Enforcers Kills Girl in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city

A tragic incident unfolded yesterday in Benin-city, capital of Edo State, where a two-year-old girl lost her life in a fatal crash allegedly caused by members of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team (PSR).

The incident, which took place near Ring Road, has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for an immediate response from the state government.

Eyewitnesses said the incident happened when a commercial bus driver and two members of the PSR, a unit of state-backed enforcers tasked with revenue collection, were attempted to seize the steering wheel of the moving vehicle, causing the driver to lose control and veered off the road, slamming into a roadside PoS kiosk where the small girl and her mother were standing, killing the child instantly.

“She didn’t have the chance to run,” said an eyewitness who saw the crash. “The bus threw her and her mother against the concrete slabs, but she was the only one that died. It was terrible,” witness stated.

Consequently, enraged crowd at the scene reportedly turned on the PSR operatives, beating them before taking them, along with the child’s lifeless body, to a nearby police station.

Despite the gravity of the situation, neither the Edo State Government nor the police have released an official statement regarding the tragedy as at the time of filing this report.

The silence from the Government House has further fueled public anger, with many demanding accountability for what they see as a preventable death.

Public commentators and concerned citizens have called on the Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to immediately disband the PSR unit, citing its violent methods and lack of proper training.

Many also urged a return to the cashless, digitised revenue collection system implemented by the previous administration, which operated without deploying street enforcers.

“This is not just an accident. It’s what happens when the government hands over revenue collection to untrained thugs instead of using a proper system,” another witness at the scene said, adding: “This could have been anyone’s child.”