The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a cop who killed two persons at an accident scene in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
The accident, which involved a Lexus car and a Jincheng motorcycle occurred late on Tuesday night at the Omisanjana area of Ado-Ekiti.
Sources who witnessed the incident told PUNCH Metro that in the process of managing the pandemonium that followed the accident, stray bullets from one of the police officers who came to the scene hit two persons.
A source who refused to be identified said the two victims, who were rushed to the hospital, were said to have died before getting to the medical facility.
The source said irate youths caused a stir in a bid to prevent the driver of the vehicle from escaping after his car had injured the motorcycle rider.
The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr Adeniran Akinwale, disclosed that “The command, upon the receipt of the information, deployed the State Traffic Section to the scene (of accident) to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order as well as ensure the safety of the victims.”
The commissioner, in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer for the command, Sunday Abutu, said, “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 the ground.
“However, in the process, one of the officers accidentally fired a shot that fatally injured two persons.
“The officer responsible for the shooting has been disarmed, arrested and detained and shall be made to face disciplinary action immediately,” he stated.
The commissioner, who said the command was already in touch with the families of the two deceased persons condoled with the families and assured them that a discrete investigation had commenced and justice shall prevail.
