It was a gloomy Thursday morning in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside local government as a pregnant woman in labour died due to the overzealousness of some police officers’s enforcement of the lockdown order at Sowore police checkpoint, Ibiade, Ogun Waterside.
Mrs Opeoluwa Waidat Adedeji, a mother of six was said to have call an okada man to assist her to the hospital when she discovered she had a labor pains. The woman was assisted by her son on the okada to the general hospital from Ita- Otu got stocked at sowore for hours due to the resistant of the police officers at the check point.
The deceased son said all their pleas to these officers fell on their deaf ears despite seeing the pregnant woman in a noticeable laboring pains. ‘ they insisted we turn back despite our passionate appeals’ he stated.
It was after they discovered that the woman has lost consciousness that they allowed us.
‘And painfully, I lost my mother before she got to the hospital’ he cried.
The ugly effect made the youth of the local government to troop out in large number to protest the insensitivity and inhuman attitude of the police officers on duty.
The timely intervention of the local government transition chairman, Comrade Oluwafemi Onanuga, the Alarige of Ibiade and the Ojotunmoro of Abigi doused the tension and the palpable crisis that would have erupted.
The protesting youth who carried the corpse to the police headquarters at Abigi was ready for a total showdown but the timely intervention of some notable indigenes and royal fathers of the communities calmed the situation.
While calming the nerves of the youths, the local government chairman promised to monitor the case and make sure that justice is done to it.
He equally promised to get the approval of His Excellency,Prince Dapo Abiodun Mfr, the executive Governor of Ogun state to empower at least, two of the deceased children into the workforce of Ogun Waterside local government.
More so, the Police Area Commands has ordered the arrest of the erring officers and set to transfer them to Elewearan in Ogun state headquarter for proper investigation.
The Area Commander equal promised to recommend two of the deceased children to the Police Commissioner for employment into Nigeria police force.
Meanwhile, many indigenes of the local government have been complaining the harassment and bribery demands of the police in different checkpoints in Ogun Waterside before the lockdown order.