Police, Drivers Clash in Ibadan, Scores Injured

Several people have been injured in the city of brown roofs following a clash between some commercial drivers and security operatives.

There was a commotion in Ibadan on Friday when taxi drivers and policemen clashed in Iwo Road, leaving several people injured.

 

There were various accounts about what led to the clash with some sources claiming that men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad chased a driver and beat him until he was unconscious.

 

Another source said the driver hit the vehicle of the policemen and refused to stop or acknowledge his fault.

 

The source said that angered by the action of the taxi driver, the policemen descended on him and repeatedly hit him with the butt of their guns.

 

It was gathered that when news of the alleged attack spread to the garage, commercial vehicle drivers mobilised in support of their colleague, which led to a free-for-all as more policemen were also mobilised to the scene.

 

It was not clear how many people were injured in the clash. Several vehicles travelling towards the route of the clash were seen taking alternative routes, resulting in gridlock in some parts of the city for several hours.

 

Attempt by a Punch correspondent to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, for comment on the clash was unsuccessful, as calls to his phone were not going through.