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Nigeria: Driver Beats Policeman to Death in Benin

Benin — A police corporal has allegedly been beaten to death by a driver in Benin City.

The Public Relations Officer of Edo State Police Command, DSP Noble Uwoh, said the driver and the car were in police custody.

He added that investigation has commenced but, however, advised members of the public to be law-abiding and civil in their encounter with others.

It was learnt that the deceased policeman, Osas Agbonmwenma, was serving at St. Saviour Police Division, Benin City before the unfortunate incident, recently.

It was gathered that the deceased corporal was among a team of policemen on routine patrol, who, on sighting the car without registration number, ordered the driver to pull-over along Uwa Street by First East Circular Road Junction.

Though no official account of the incident, eyewitness alleged that the attempt by the policemen to forcefully take over control of the vehicle led to a physical combat between them as the driver grabbed the deceased policeman by the neck so tightly that he became unconscious in the process.

The eyewitness stated further that attempts by other policemen to free their colleague from the driver's grip by beating him harder failed to yield desired result.

Another version of the encounter alleged that the driver who was asked to drive to police station in company of the deceased police corporal diverted the car to an unknown direction, prompting the corporal to forcefully stop the car around St. Maria Goretti Grammar School.

Apparently provoked by the action of the policeman, the driver allegedly hit the cop on the forehead with an object.

The policeman it was gathered, was immediately rushed to a hospital where he died.

A motorist who claimed to have witnessed the melodrama described it as overzealousness of the policemen and flagrant disobedience and attempt to resist arrest by the driver.