There was pandemonium yesterday in Ilorin the Kwara state capital after an angry mob attacked a vehicle belonging to the Nigerian Prisons Services, NPS, killed four people including a commercial motorcyclist in an accident and injured many others
Eyewitnesses say the accident occurred when the driver who was conveying some prison inmates to court drove against traffic crushed four people to death
Sources say the angry mob would have burnt the vehicle and lynched the prison staff, but sporadic gunshots by the prison’s armed guards scared the them away.
A resident of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the angry mob, who were disenchanted with the accident, attacked and vandalised the bus escorting the inmates’ vehicle to court.
The accident led to a protest by a group of commercial motorcycles also known as okada riders in the Ilorin metropolis.
Speaking with newsmen on the incident, the Zonal Spokesperson of the Motorcycle Riders Association in the state, AbdulAkeem Sulaiman, urged the government to ensure justice for their members.
He said those crushed in the accident were out in search of their means of livelihood to feed their families.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said normalcy has been restored in the areas where the protest took place.
He said the police would take necessary steps to ensure justice is done for those affected in the incident.
Also, the state NCoS Public Relations Officer, Philip Adegbulugbe, claimed that the suspected hoodlums attempted to free high-profile inmates who were conveyed to court in the area which resulted in pandemonium.
