By Chidinma Ufomadu
Three policemen in the Oyo State Police Command have drowned in a bridge carried away by flood on Balogun Street in Oyo town.
The hoodlums were being followed by the policemen, attached from Oyo Atiba Police Division, to the area when the hoodlums started running to the bridge.
Based on the account of an eyewitness, one of the thugs dived into the water and following that, the policemen also jumped after them and at that point drowned.
The witness, who stated his name to be Okunola Abbas said, “On Sunday, July 12, some policemen from Oyo Atiba Division were passing through Balogun Street in Oyo town and saw some hoodlums smoking weed in the area.
“The area is notorious for hooliganism. The policemen parked their van and four of them started running after the hoodlums. So, being their base and knowing the area well, the hoodlums jumped into the flooded bridge. The policemen chased one of the hoodlums to the bridge and three of them jumped after him.
“They were not lucky as they were swallowed up by the mud. It was later that a bulldozer was used to bring their corpses out.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Olugbenga Fadeyi, affirmed the mishap, explaining that the police in relation to the incident had arrested four suspects.
He said, “The policemen carried out a raid. They went to a criminal hideout in the area. Some of the hoodlums ran and one of them jumped and entered a canal. The policemen followed them.
“Unfortunately, the policemen drowned. It was a painful loss for us. The suspected criminal and three others have been arrested and we are still investigating them. It was based on a tip-off that our men went to the criminal hideout. The hoodlums had been disturbing the area. The report before me is that they are suspected criminals and investigations will reveal more details later.”
