Francis Ogbuagu 
Tragedy struck in Benin City, Edo State, on Wednesday evening, when a two-year-old girl was killed after a Vannette bus which steering wheel was reportedly being dragged by officers of the State’s Public Safety Response Team (PSR) at the Ring Road area, rammed into pedestrians.
An eyewitness at the scene, who does not want his name in print described the situation as a chaotic struggle between the commercial bus driver and two members of the PSR team.
According to him, the agents attempted to seize the steering wheel of the moving vehicle, causing the driver to lose control.
The bus veered off the road and slammed into a roadside POS kiosk where the girl and her mother were standing, killing the child instantly He said, the bus threw her and her mother against the concrete slabs.
The enraged crowd at the scene reportedly turned on the PSR operatives, beating them before taking them, along with the child’s lifeless body, to a nearby police station.
A human rights’ activists and eyewitness, Marxist Kola Edo – koayi, condemned the act and pleaded with the government to educate the personnel on how best to do their work, and not use 16th century method in a 21st century environment.
Reacting, the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Bugie Okhuemoi , said he was saddened by the tragic loss of the young child in Benin City, following an unfortunate incident involving members of the Public Safety Response (PSR) Team.
The Statement said: “The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, is a deeply pained by the devastating event, and the governor extends his most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the grieving family.
Governor Okpebholo has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this heartbreaking incident.”
