Mounting tension and anxiety took centre stage in Ekiti State as a Police officer accidentally shot and killed two young men in the Omisanjana area of Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
It was gathered that an accident, which occurred in the area at 10:30 pm, sparked outrage and anger among the youths who attempted to mob the driver involved and set his vehicle on fire.
In the process, the police officers were called in to arrest the situation but their arrival on the scene escalated the situation because seeking to disperse the irate youths and restore peace in the area, a yet-to-be-identified officer accidentally discharged his gun and struck two young men, who later died en route Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
A Police insider hinted that it was an unfortunate incident because some operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) accidentally fired gunshots while trying to disperse some youths who accosted a hit-and-run driver and were about to lynch him.
According to the source, the driver fled the scene after hitting a commercial motorcyclist and a passenger, breaking their legs and arms in the accident, adding that the driver then made a distress phone call to the RRS men, who on arriving at the scene, one of them mistakenly opened fire and the stray bullets hit the two victims.
“When the RRS men arrived at the scene, the irate youths made an attempt to confront them and mobbed the officers, and one of the officers fired bullets that hit the two men. The victims were rushed to the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, but, unfortunately, they died at the hospital. Their bodies have been deposited at the mortuary”, the insider told some reporters
In his reaction, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ekiti State Command, DSP Sunday Abutu, said the Commissioner of Police, Akinwale Adeniran, has ordered a discreet investigation into the incident and condoled with the family members of the deceased.
Abutu said in a statement on Wednesday that; “A serious motor vehicle/motorcycle accident occurred, involving a Lexus car and a Jincheng motorcycle, along the Omisanjana area of Ado-Ekiti. The command, upon the receipt of the information, deployed the state traffic section to the scene to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order, as well as ensuring the safety of the victims.
“On getting to the scene, the operatives met resistance as some irate youths disallowed them from performing their lawful duty and insisted on carrying out jungle justice. This necessitated a call for re-enforcement to assist the officers on ground.
“However, in the process, one of the officers accidentally fired a shot that fatally injured two people. The officer responsible for the shooting has been disarmed, arrested, and detained and shall be made to face disciplinary action, immediately.”
“While the command is already in touch with the two families of the deceased, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Akinwale Kunle Adeniran, condoles with the families and assures them that discreet investigation has commenced and justice shall prevail”, the statement said.
