The Ondo State Police Command on Thursday, March 3, 2022, confirmed the death of an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Ore Unit, who was knocked down by a vehicle along the Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway.
A motorist, who was arrested for a traffic offence, was also knocked down and killed.
Funmilayo Odunlami, the state Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the incident to Punch, said the vehicle suffered a brake failure.
She said, “We have the report that an FRSC officer and another motorist were knocked down and died as a result. Unfortunately, the vehicle that knocked them down fled.”
Similarly, a signal released by the Benin-Sagamu Corridor Commander of the FRSC, Lasis Ogundele, and made available to Punch on Thursday, March 3, 2022, identified the officer as Abdulkareem Jimoh.
The signal read in part, “The worker, SRMA Abdulkareem Ojonla Jimoh (M-1411-17540), who was on patrol duty after Ajebandele Bridge before the military checkpoint on the inward Benin section of the expressway, was attending to a reasonably suspected traffic offender with vehicle details: ash Toyota Previa with number plate, SMK-687GG, when the driver of a white Toyota Hiace bus with number plate, NEM-618AA, lost control of his vehicle as a result of a brake failure and in an attempt to avoid collision with other vehicles on a queue at the checkpoint, hit the marshal, the suspected traffic offender being attended to, and two other vehicles.
“The marshal got seriously injured and lost his life on the way to a hospital, while the suspected traffic offender, who also sustained serious injuries, was rushed to the Glory Field Hospital, Ajebandele, and subsequently taken to the General Hospital, Ore, where he also lost his life. Both victims have been deposited at the Opeyemi Mortuary, Ore.”