There is palpable tension in Osogbo on Tuesday evening, as aggrieved youths numbering about 50 attacks personnel of the State Joint Task Force (JTF) for allegedly chasing four suspected internet fraudsters to death in the state.
The stick-wielding mob, who thronged some major streets around 6:30 pm, dumped the corpse of one of the victims at Government House gate, set born-fire along Oke-Fia road, and assaulted policemen on sight before they were dispatched by arm wielding policemen.
It was gathered that JTF chased four young men, suspected to be internet fraudsters after refusing to stop after they were flagged along Osogbo East-West bypass around 5:20 pm.
The suspected ‘Yahoo boys’, according to findings were at the Osun shopping mall to buy things before they were chased by the JTF through the Oba Adesoji Aderemi East-West bypass.
Vanguard gathered that while on the chase of the young boys, the deceased, who drove the black Toyota Corolla car with registration number KUJ-553LY veered off the road and had a head-on collision with a concrete electricity pole and somersaulted into a ditch.
The driver, according to an eye witness account, died on the spot while the other occupants who were said to have sustained serious injuries.
An unconfirmed report disclosed that two of the victims later died while they were being conveyed to the hospital.
Ayodele Abimbola told Vanguard correspondent that as soon as the vehicle skid off the road, the JTF vehicle turned back and abandoned the youngmen to their fate.
“The driver died on the on the spot while the rest were conveyed to the hospital, but I heard two others died on the road’, he said.
The mob refused to be dispersed despite gunshots into the air by another JTF vehicle before the abandoned their car at Oke-Fia area of the state capital.
As at the time of filing this report, the mob insisted on setting the vehicle on fire.
However, the police traffic warden at the Oke-Fia roundabout was assaulted by the mob and chased away from their duty post.
When contacted, the Special Adviser to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Mrs Abiodun Ige said she does not have the detail of the incident yet
Vanguard
