Men of the Nigerian Police Force have been blamed for a ghastly motor accident that claimed a family of four on Christmas Eve. The family of the deceased alleged that the accident was caused as a result of a roadblock mounted by mobile policemen for ‘stop and searching’ of vehicles at Oloba Bridge, along Iwo-Ibadan road, in Osun State. The action of the police men reportedly resulted in traffic jam and led to the incident around 4pm on the fateful day.
The family, consisting the couple, Mr and Mrs Olumide Bankole and their two children, died on the spot.
It would be recalled that the family of four had lost their lives when a trailer, loaded with bags of rice, lost control and crushed them to death. According to eye witnesses’ account, “Bankole, while driving an arsh-coloured Golf car, was heading to Ibadan to celebrate Christmas with his in-laws, before his car was stopped alongside other vehicles plying the road, thus causing a long queue of on the express road waiting to be checked by the policemen.
“The driver of the speeding trailer, who had sighted the queue from afar, attempted to apply the brakes but it failed, thus colliding with the car and crushing its occupants,” he explained.
It was gathered that a lady, who was given a lift by the Bankoles, sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Another eyewitness, identified as Ajao, said the trailer had collided with the car immediately the policemen released Bankole’s car.
He added, “The vehicle was axed before the bodies of the occupants could be removed but the driver of the trailer did not die. The fowl belonging to the victims did not die too, as it flew out of the crushed vehicle when the mutilated bodies were been removed.”
Speaking for the family, Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, Osun State University chapter, Isaiah Fayemi, called on Osun State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Marafa, to bring the perpetrators to book.
Fayemi, who is an in-law to the deceased Mr. Bankole, said “Despite the fact that road blocks have been banned, some mobile policemen mounted an illegal ‘stop and search’, which caused unnecessary long queue that resulted to the death of the family.”
Fayemi also wants the Inspector General of Police to order a thorough investigation into the matter.
“An investigation to apprehend the mobile policemen that engaged in the stop and search should be conducted by the IG,” he added.