Ben Dunno, Warri

A middle aged man, Temitope Akinlemibola, rumoured to be a ‘yahoo boy’ said to have been pursued by the police that led to death of a woman and child along the Dsc expressway by Pti junction, has clarified that he was he was not being chased by the police at anytime prior to the accident.

Throwing more lights on the incident that occured on mid day of Wednesday, January 20, 2020, Temitope narrated that he was a scene of the accident and saw how the Commercial tricycle, popularly known as ‘Keke rider” attempted to over take a tipper also on speed when the accident occurred.

He explained that it was during the stampede that followed the accident that another keke rider hitting his vehicle from behind causing him to lose control and in an attempt to avoid further accident, he held his brake abruptly, causing his daughter at the front seat with the wife jumping out of the vehicle.

According to him; “I was not being pursued by anybody, I was on my way to the hospital with my wife and daughter at about house 12 (mid day). On the highway, a police patrol team with a new hilux, waved us down, we parked off the road and after one or two questions, we were asked to go”.

“I had left the police checkpoint for over 8 to 10 minutes and as i was about negotiating a bending by the Pti Junction to return to the other side of the road, i was taken my time because its a very busy road and it was there and then, i saw the Keke man trying to over take a tipper that was on speed too.

“I don’t know what happened to the tipper at that moment but i saw when it forcefully hit the Keke and the impact threw the Keke off the road, causing ths passengers to jumping out to different directions leading to the casualties recorded.”

“Due to stampede of the accident, another Keke man that was trying to avoid the accident, hit my vehicle from behind that made me lose control and in an effort to regain myself, i matched on my brake abruptly, making my daughter to fly out of the car and my wife had to immediately go after her”.

Related News

Continuing, Temitope said; “I came straight to the Eburumede police station myself to lodge the complaint and the policemen had to mobile a team to the scene, it was later i started hearing that there was a mob attack on the police team because the accident was caused by them as they were chasing a yahoo boy”.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has denied alleged involvement in the incident leading to the death of woman and her daughter who were reportedly crushed to death at the PTI Junction in Effurun, Uvwie Council area of the state.

Some security operatives alleged to be policemen or operatives of the newly formed Operation Delta Hawk (OPDH) were accused to have crushed the woman and her baby to death when the personnel were alleged to be pursuing suspected yahoo boys.

In a statement on Wednesday signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said reports linking the police with the unfortunate incident were false and unfounded.

Onovwakpoyeya also dismissed claims linking personnel of the Operation Delta Hawk and officers of the Ebrumede patrol team in the death of the victims.

According to her, “The Delta State Police Command wish to put the records straight in respect of the ugly incident that occurred today being 20/1/2021 at about 13:40hrs along PTI Express Way in Effurun, Uvwie LGA of Delta State where a multiple fatal motor/tricycle accident occurred.

“The accident involved a Mercedes Tipper with Reg. No. WWR 425 ZR loaded with granite, a Toyota Camry car with Reg. No. AKD 403 FM and a Tricycle Reg. No yet unknown all moving in the same direction and Police vehicle was never involved. Two passengers conveyed by the Tricycle a woman and a baby girl died on the spot and other passengers were injured.

The Delta State Police Command deeply sympathizes with the families of the deceased and the injured persons and equally frowns at the unjust treatment meted to Police officers who went to rescue the victims by members of the public, they went as far as burning the Police patrol vehicle that came for the rescue operation. The Perpetrators of this dastardly act will be brought to book.

“The Command also wishes to inform the general public that neither Operation Delta Hawk nor Ebrumede patrol vehicle was involved as speculated earlier.”