Youths Beat DPO As Bus Kills Two In Ondo

A commercial bus going to Lagos on Sunday killed two members of Ilara-Mokin Community in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo state.

The victims were reportedly crushed to death by the 18-passenger Toyota bus on a motorcycle along Akure-Ilesha Expressway.

The identities of the deceased were yet to be confirmed at the time of filing this report.

Eyewitnesses said youths in the community burnt down the bus and assaulted security operatives in protest of the incident.

One of the eyewitnesses said Wole Ogodo, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the town, was attacked and beaten by the protesters while pleading for caution.

“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 the driver of the bus was reckless.

“They immediately organised a protest, burnt down the bus and blocked the highway. They also attacked the security agents as the policemen were trying to stop them,” he said.

It was learnt that the demonstration caused a traffic gridlock which lasted for hours, forcing some motorists to find alternative routes to their destinations.

Policemen and men of the Ondo State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps later clear the road and restored normalcy.

Femi Joseph, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the incident.
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.

“As the DPO was trying to prevent them from burning the vehicle, they overpowered and seriously assulted him.

“However, we have begun our investigation. We will still arrest those that set the bus ablaze and those that beat the DPO because they have committed another offence.”