By Ismail Auwal
A police patrol crushed and killed an Assistant Superintendent of Police in an accident in Ado Ekiti.
Tunde Mobayo, the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, confirmed the accident in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The accident, which involved a Rapid Response Squad van, also injured eight other cops.
Mobayo, who mourned the officer’s death and expressed sympathy for the injured, dismissed reports that the officer was crushed to death by a police van while on the hunt for suspected Internet fraudsters.
The CP stated in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, that the accident was caused by a mechanical fault in the police van while the RRS operatives were on their way to respond to a distress call.
He said, “Around 6.30pm, a distress call was received from the DPO, Ikole Ekiti, by the RRS for reinforcement for the possible arrest of some suspected cultists, who have been terrorising the people of Ikole-Ekiti and its environs.
“Upon the receipt of the report, the RRS Commander deployed three patrol vehicles with adequate operatives in the area for the operation.”
“Unfortunately, while on their way, one of the three patrol vehicles developed a mechanical fault, went off its lane and hit an oncoming motorcycle ridden by a policeman, who had closed from work and was returning home.”
“The policeman was rushed to hospital for medical attention, but was confirmed dead by a medical doctor, while eight other RRS operatives in the patrol vehicle sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently in hospital receiving medical attention.”
Abutu stated that Mobayo sympathised with the family of the deceased police officer and prayed that God would grant him eternal rest.
According to the PPRO, the CP has visited the injured policemen in hospital and will also visit the family of the deceased ASP
