Two crushed to death by motorist escaping arrest in Delta

A motorcyclist, Joseph Idodo, and his passenger, Igho Avwata, have lost their lives in the Ogorode area of Delta State, TopNaija reports.

It was gathered that the accident happened when policemen chased a suspected fraudster to the area and allegedly shot at the suspect’s vehicle tyres in a bid to stop and apprehend him.

As the bullet hit one of the tyres, the suspect reportedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed into Idodo and Avwata, who were on their way to a destination in the area.

Idodo reportedly died on the spot, while Avwata, who was said to have been rushed to hospital for treatment by good Samaritans, also passed away. Pictures of the victims as well as the wreckage of the vehicle were seen in a post on an Instagram page, Instablog9ja.

“According to an eyewitness, the police officers were chasing a boy driving a Benz — who they said was a fraudster — from Oleh Road down to Ogorode. When they saw that he was a bit faster than them, they shot at one of the tyres of his car.

“This led to the driver losing control. The car hit the bikeman and his passenger. The bikeman died on the spot, while the woman was rushed to the hospital, but could not make it.

“Also, the Benz driver and a female in the car, believed to be his girlfriend, are in pretty bad shape in the hospital,” the post read.

An Instagram user, @fraubella1704, said the police needed a reform, adding that the tragedy could have been averted if the policemen resorted to tracing the suspect.

“What happened to being trailed and ambushed in his home if they had the right information? Now, two innocent people have died as a result of such incompetence. Reform the Nigeria police biko,” the person wrote.

Another Instagram user, @loveli_leo, wrote, “Police have done more harm than good in our society this period. its soooo sad and disheartening that people will just die for nothing.”

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, however, denied the claim that the police were responsible for the accident.

She said, “The true narrative is that the young man who was driving the vehicle hit a motorcyclist, who was conveying a woman. The rider died on the spot, and the police had to rush the woman, who was still breathing, to hospital. But the woman eventually passed away.

“If what people are saying was actually the case, considering the volatile nature of that incident, they would have stoned the police patrol team or done something untoward to them. We have arrested one of the occupants of the vehicle, a male, Tega, while the driver ran away.”

The PPRO said the accident was caused by reckless driving, adding that “most young boys who get money from whatever means don’t go to driving schools. As soon as they buy a car, because it is automatic, they enter the road immediately.”

In a related development, a yet-to-be-identified motorist reportedly lost control of his vehicle while fleeing from some SARS officers in the Langbasa area of Ajah, Lagos State. The victim lost control of the vehicle, which somersaulted and hit a pedestrian.

Footage attached to a post on the incident on gossipmillnaija showed the wreckage of the vehicle. Some good Samaritans could also be seen rescuing the victim.

Reacting to the post, one Larry, through his Instagram handle, @larrybills32, wrote, “This is becoming too much; why can’t the IGP scrap this armed robbers in uniform out of the system. We the youths, why can’t we organise a protest against this illicit killings by SARS.”