Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City on Wednesday remanded two persons, a Bus Driver and one other person to prison for murder over the killing of a two years old baby at Ring Road popular area in Benin City when an official of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team, PSRT allegedly dragged steering wheel with the bus driver, causing the moving vehicle to veer off the road to snatch and smashed the baby girl on the pedestrian lane, this, the Investigative Police Officer, IPO, ASP Regina Obayuwana testified before the Court that the murder was committed when the bus driver dragged the steering wheel with an official of the PSR, but, the PSR official was apparently not arraigned with the two other murder suspects even when the police testimony indicated that the PSR official maybe the principal suspect in the murder case  because there is seemly no justification for any law enforcement officer to hold or drag the steering wheel of a vehicle even if the driver of the vehicle is a high profile criminal suspect. 

According to State owned media in Nigeria, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Edo State High Court remanded the two persons, Ile Itua and Kingsley Micheal, in a correctional centre over alleged killing of a 21-month old child.

Itua, 25, and Michael, 36, whose addresses were not given, are being charged with murder.

The Prosecutor, Polycap Odion, said that the defendants committed the offence on March 12, in Benin Cty.

Odion said that Itua and Michael unlawfully killed the child with a vehicle and attempted to kill two other persons.

He said that the offences contravened Sections 239 (a)(b), 243(a) and 248 of the Criminal Law of Edo, 2022.

The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendants in a correctional centre, pending the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution.

Counsel to the defendant, Mr Paul Badaki, prayed the court to grant his clients bail, arguing that the case was purely an accident, and not murder.

Badaki further urged the court to listen to the report of the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) to determine the true nature of the matter.

In her report, the IPO, ASP Regina Obayuwana, said that the defendants’ vehicle was coming from Agbor Park to Ring Road when a police Public Safety Response Team intercepted them.

She said that the defendants dragged the vehicle steering with the police, saying,” the vehicle veered off the road in the process and killed the little girl”

The presiding Judge, Justice Williams Aziegbemhin, directed the defence counsel to tender a formal bail application before the court.

He said that the facts in the bail application would enable the court to determine whether the case was purely an accident or murder.

The judge remanded the defendants in Oko Correctional Centre, and adjourned the case until April 1, 2025.

We had reported that following widely media reported case of alleged abuse of the naira, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested and detained Kelly Okungbowa aka Ebo Stone, the Coordinator of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team, the government agency that was suspended a few days ago by the State Governor, Monday Okpebholo over extortion, harassment and unruly behaviour, days after a baby girl was killed when an official of the PSR allegedly dragged steering wheel with the bus driver of a moving vehicle.

In other issue, we had reported that the Coordinator of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team, PSR, Kelly Okungbowa aka Ebo Stone – the PSR team that was suspended on Friday indefinitely by the state government has debunked rumours and speculations that one of the PSR officials that was lynched by mob over the death of a 2-year-old baby girl in Benin City on Wednesday after the official allegedly dragged steering wheel with the Bus Driver of a moving vehicle is dead, speaking with the PSR official at an undisclosed hospital in Benin City, Ebo Stone said he decided to do a video press release with the victim at the hospital bed to prove to those, apparently happy over the unfortunate incident that the PSR official is not dead.

We had reported that the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo has indefinitely suspended the operational activities of the state Public Safety Response Team, PSR days after an official of the PSR allegedly dragged steering wheel with the driver of a moving bus – leading to an accident that killed a two-year-old baby in Benin City, this, the State Coordinator of the PSR, Kelly Okungbowa aka Ebo Stone reacted and said he supported the governor for the PSR suspension.

Some residents who witnessed the cause of the accident on Wednesday, said, one of the PSR officials simply identified as Abacha was seen dragging the steering wheel of a moving vehicle with the bus driver, and suddenly, the vehicle veered off the road and snatched the two years old baby girl from her mother who is a POS operator and smashed the little girl on the road pavement.

Edo State Government in a statement signed and made available by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, stated that the decision was taken based on several complaints received by the State Government on allegations of extortion, harassment and unruly behaviour by members of the Team.

We had reported that the Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the killing of a 2 years old baby after a bus driver rammed the bus into a group of pedestrians while running away from the Edo State Public Safety Response Team, PSR at the highly populated Ring Road in Benin City, this, the State Coordinator of the PSR, Kelly Okungbowa aka Ebo Stone apologized to the bereaved family and promised to take action against the PSR official who allegedly gave the bus driver a chase.

The Police in a statement on Thursday said the PSR official was almost lynched to death by angry mob but he was rescued due to the quick intervention of the men of the Esigie Police Division.

Adding that the tragic incident involves a white Vannette bus with registration number: BEN 406 YA ramming into some pedestrians, ostensibly to evade arrest by members of the Edo State Public Safety Response.