Tragedy struck in Benin city, the capital of Edo State on Wednesday after a two-year-old girl was killed in a clash between the members of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team (PSR) and a bus driver.
It was gathered that trouble started when two agents of the PSR team attempted to seized the steering wheel of the moving vehicle in a bid to enforce the revenue collection initiative of the state.
Eyewitnesses said the bus driver, in the process lost control of his vehicle along the Ring Road area in Benin, veered off the road and rammed into a roadside Point of Sales (POS) kiosk where the young girl and her mother were standing.
The devastating impact of the crash was said to have killed the girl instantly causing a widespread outrage from residents who have also called for an immediate response on the activities of the PSR team in the state.
An eyewitness said, “She no get chance run,” said an eyewitness who witnessed the crash. “The bus throw her and her mama against the concrete slabs, but na only she die. It was terrible.”
The eyewitness added that the enraged crowd at the scene reportedly turned on the PSR operatives, beating them before taking them, along with the child’s lifeless body, to a nearby police station.
While several residents of the state, including public commentators have demanded accountability and stern actions against the PSR team, neither the Edo State Government nor the police have released an official statement regarding the tragedy as at the time of filing this report
Public commentators and concerned citizens have called on Governor Monday Okpebholo to immediately disband the PSR unit, citing its violent methods and lack of proper training.
Many have also urged a return to the cashless, digitized revenue collection system implemented by the previous administration, which operated without deploying street enforcers.
“This is not just an accident. It’s what happens when the government hands over revenue collection to untrained thugs instead of using a proper system,” said another witness at the scene. “This could have been anyone’s child.”
