By Ahmed Ajikobi
A yet to be identified commercial motorcyclist was on Tuesday allegedly shot dead by a policeman in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The incident was said to have occurred at the Idi-Ogede Police Station at Oloje area of the metropolis.
It was gathered that the commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada operators were at the police station to protest the seizure of their motorcycles.
The police were said to have earlier impounded motorcycles of riders who defied the stay-at-home order of the state government.
The motorcyclists, it was further gathered, were also aggrieved over the ban on their operation following the recent lockdown ease by the state government.
Confirming the incident, the President of Commercial Riders Association of Kwara State, Adewole Gabriel said, he was told by people at the scene that the motorcyclist was shot dead by the police.
“When I got winds of the incident, myself and other executive members rushed down to the scene at Oloje are, on Tuesday. But by the time we got there the victim had been rushed to the hospital by other members. He gave up the ghost at the hospital. I was shown his remains”
“Those who witnessed the incident claimed that the dceased was shot by a policeman attached to the police state.
“On leaving the hospital we went straight to the station to challenge the policemen. But, they denied having knowledge of the incident, he explained.
Gabriel disclosed that the executive of the association would be at the state Police Headquarters tomorrow (Thursday) to meet with the Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbeokun over the incident.
Speaking on the protest, he blame it on communication gap between government and the association.
According to him, members of the association protested ban on Okada operation by the state government on the fateful day.
He said that the state government did not meet with the leadership of the association before coming up with the ban on their activities.
” It was just today (Wednesday) that we were invited to the Deputy Governor’s office where they explained reason for the ban on our operation. We were told that it is part of measure to prevent community transmission of the virus in the state.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ajayi Okasanmi has debunked the murder allegation..
He stated that no one was killed by policemen of the command, adding that Okada operators on the fateful day protested the impounding of their motorcycles by the police.
Okasanmi explained that the motorcycles were seized from motorcycle bduring the lockdown from motorcyclist who flouted stay-at-home order of the state government.
“During their protest, the police at the Oloje police station called the police command for re-inforcement , but before our officers got there, the okada men had gone. No one was shot or injured by police,” he stressed..
