Hundreds of commercial motorcyclists took to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on Wednesday as they protest the death of one of their members who was allegedly hit with a charm by a suspected member of the Oyo state Park Management System (PMS).
It was learnt that the deceased, simply identified as Damilare Ojo, was said to have engaged in a heated argument with men of the PMS for refusing to pay for ticket, a situation which later led to fisticuffs between them.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Owolabi Abiodun, said the deceased died immediately on the spot before any help or assistance could be render in an attempt to save his life.
Another source disclosed that the incident which happened at the Queen Cinema area of Ibadan, saw men of the PMS and the motorcyclist engaged in a hot argument over issues bordering on ticket and collection of illegal fees, stating that one of the PMS men hit the motorcyclist with charms and in the process he fell down and collapsed afterwards.
The incident led to an uproar in the axis while motorcyclists who gathered at the scene, carried the remains of the deceased to the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat.
The protesting motorcyclists who occupied the main gate of the state’s secretariat in Agodi, obstructed vehicular movements in the area thereby causing heavy traffic congestion for several hours.
It was however gathered that three members of the PMS have been arrested by men of the Oyo State Police Command while a combined team of mobile policemen and men of the state security outfit, Operation Burst, prevented the protesters from gaining access into the state Secretariat.
For several hours, the protesters continued to laid siege on the state Secretariat while majority of civil servants who closed for the day’s activities were stranded.
A cross section of motorcyclists who spoke on the incident, decried the excesses of the Park Managers while appealing to the state government to call them to order.
The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Mr. Sunday Odukoya, in his reaction, said he was informed that the motorcyclist was beaten with charms, assuring that investigation has commenced into the incident.
