5 crushed to death in Auto crash in Ilorin

Toyota Camry car on Tuesday crushed five children to death in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Two other victims are said to be receiving treatment at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).
The accident, involving the car and a Toyota Hiace bus, took place at Elekoyangan and Anfeyin communities on old Jebba road.

Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred at 9.30pm when the Camry rammed into a stationary bus parked by the roadside, before hitting the children and killing five of them instantly.

Angered by the incident, members of the communities, who include students of the State Polytechnic, Ilorin, carried out a protest yesterday.

This obstructed movement on the busy road and paralysed academic activities at the polytechnic and other schools in the neighbourhood.

It was gathered that the driver of the Camry lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the victims, who were walking by the road side.

A member of one of the communities, Isiaka Rahman, said: “This is a sad incident. Our children- Abdulfatai, Sodiq, Fatai Kososi, Jamiu Mogaji, and Jamiu – were killed in the accident; Shola and Gafar are in a coma.

“As we embark on a peaceful protest, policemen suddenly came shooting sporadically at our houses.
“We had to run, they fired tear gas at us. This made the youths to set bon fire on the road.

“Although the vehicle that caused the havoc was immediately set ablaze, the driver and two others escaped.”

Police Commissioner Agboola Glover-Oshodi confirmed the incident and urged the indigenes to remain calm.

He added that men and officers of the state command would remain on the scene until normalcy returns.

Glover-Oshodi, however, sympathised with the family and warned youths not take laws into their hands.

The nation