No fewer than five persons lost their lives in an accident which occurred at Ago Okota Palace Way, Lagos on Tuesday.
A witness, Mrs. Uche Muoneke, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the accident occurred when two men attempted to take control of the steering of a Sienna car from its driver.
The witness also said that one of the men was in the Nigeria Police uniform, while the other was said to be a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority official.
She said that the men were dragging the steering of the car with the driver of a private car when the accident occurred.
“The incident happened as a police officer was dragging the steering wheel with the driver of a privately-owned Sienna car into Baywale Street, Balogun bus stop, Ago.
“I saw the officer as he dragged the car steering with the driver who refused to stop.
“He dragged the steering wheel with the driver till the car hit a Keke (commercial tricycle) driver carrying a pregnant woman with her two children.
“That was how the woman, her two children, the police officer and the keke driver lost their lives this morning (Tuesday).
“The victims were crushed by the car after which some other police officers rushed to the scene and started shooting sporadically,” she said.
Another eyewitness, Sunday Orji, said that the police officers started firing tear gas to prevent people from coming near the scene of the accident.
Orji told NAN that other commercial tricycle drivers plying the route staged a protest over the incident.
He also said that the husband of the pregnant woman fainted on sighting the blood-soaked bodies of his wife and children.
Spokesperson of the Police Command in Lagos, Superintendent of Police, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident, said that investigation into the incident had commenced.
Hundeyin could, however, not confirm the number of persons involved in the accident as well as those who lost their lives as at the time of filing this report, although he said that the situation had been put under control.
The incident resulted in heavy human and vehicular traffic around Ago Palace Way and its environs.
In another development, the Benue State Police Command has dismissed one of its officers, Constable Belasa Iyangedue, for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl who was in detention.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Bartholomew Onyeka, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Makurdi, the state capital.
Onyeka stated that the Constable had been arraigned by the police, adding that Iyangedue’s offence was against the ethics of the profession.
He said the dismissed Constable allegedly committed the offence at Tse Agbaragba Divisional Police Station in the Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State.
“He was not only dismissed but he is facing prosecution. When civilians commit such an offence they are prosecuted. He is facing dismissal and prosecution,” the Police Commissioner said.
It was gathered that the police detained the rape victim on August 15 for alleged defamation, but the dismissed Constable allegedly took her out of the cell to the Divisional Police Officer’s office where he raped her.
Upon her release from detention the day after, the victim reported the incident to the police.
The Police Commissioner added the Command also arrested four suspected killers of former President of Benue Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Margaret Igbetar (Rtd).
Onyeka told newsmen that the suspects confessed that they killed Igbetar over family inheritance.
The decomposing body of Justice Igbetar was found with deep cults on her back inside her kitchen on August 24.
