by Isi Esene

Three policemen may have died in an accident which reportedly happened on Friday morning on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

Eyewitness reports say the policemen who were in a Rapid Response Squad van were chasing after a motorcyclist who was said to have been driving against traffic at Cement Bus Stop.

A vulcaniser who has a shop close to the scene of the incident narrated the incident saying, “I got here and saw people discussing the accident.

“I was told that the policemen were in a Rapid Response Squad van. The van was chasing an okada rider, who was riding against the traffic and heading to Oshodi. The rider carried two passengers.”

The witness who did not want to be named, continued saying, “They had almost caught the rider when he escaped through a side street. The police van lost control as the driver, who was on high speed, applied the brake suddenly. The van ran into a stationary bus.

“The policemen at the back of the van were flung out. I heard that the lifeless bodies of three of the policemen were taken away from here.”

Residents of the area say some of the victims may have hit their heads on the culvert by the road when flung out of the van.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, however, described it as a minor accident.

“The information you got is wrong,” she said. “The policemen heeded a distress call and were hit from the back by a bus.

“Two of the policemen sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. They have since been discharged.”