Police Patrol Van Crash Kills Four Officers In Kwara

The Kwara State Police Command on Wednesday said it lost four police officers in an auto crash involving a truck and a police patrol vehicle.

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The states police spokesman, Ajayi Okasanmi, who made this known to newsmen said the deceased officers were attached to the Ilesha-Baruba Divisional Police Headquarters of the state.

A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity said a truck loaded with cattle was coming from Chikanda, a Nigeria-Benin Republic border community in the Baruten Local Government Area of the state, and was heading to Ilesha Market to off-load the goods when the tragedy occurred.

He said the truck was trying to dodge a pothole in Ilesha when it collided with the van just less than 10 minutes after the patrol team left the police station, adding that the accident happened at about 9:15 pm.

A source within the force, who didn’t want his name in print said three of the four policemen died on the spot while the fourth one later died on the way to hospital in Saki, Oyo State.

“We had to make use of cutlasses, axes and other objects before we could remove him from the van because the truck had smashed it beyond repair” the source said.

The source revealed that the truck and cattle had been impounded by the command.

Meanwhile, the force spokesman disclosed that the driver of the truck was yet to be arrested as he had fled the scene immediately after the accident.