Police van driving against traffic kills final-year UNIPORT student

A police van driving against traffic has crushed to death a final-year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Edah Oghenekevwe.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the van, with number plate, NPF1791D, which was driven by a policeman, identified as Inspector John Kanu, crushed Oghenekevwe on Sunday at the Assemblies of God Church Junction, Alakahia, Port Harcourt.

According to eyewitnesses, the van was moving against the traffic when it ran into the deceased, who was said to be in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and was returning from church.

Oghenekevwe was standing by the roadside at the junction, when the van swerved and crushed him.

It was learnt that the student was thereafter rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital where he died.

The policemen, when contacted by the family, were said to have denied involvement in the accident.

One of the eyewitnesses, who declined to mention his name, said the policemen in the van attempted to escape when they saw the accident, but for the intervention of passersby.

He said, “After hitting Edah (Oghenekevwe), the policemen tried to escape, but they were stopped by passersby and eyewitnesses who demanded that the victim be taken to a hospital. The policemen agreed and rushed him to the UNIPORT Teaching Hospital, but they pretended as if they found him on the road and picked him up.

“I heard that they told the nurses that they were not aware of how he came about the accident. But the nurses were smart and they took down the details of one of the policemen. Unfortunately, the young man died around 7.30pm.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, who confirmed the student’s death, said investigations were ongoing to ascertain whether or not the police were involved in the incident.