A Nigerian Prison Services bus conveying inmates to court was involved in an accident at Ilorin in Kwara state on Thursday, October 19.

While prisons authorities said no life was lost in the accident, sources told Vanguard that three people were killed in the accident.

It was further gathered that the driver of the vehicle who allegedly drove against traffic, also allegedly crushed and killed a motorcyclist along Niger road while trying to escape mob action.

The angry mob would have burnt the vehicle and lynched the prison staff, but sporadic gunshots by the prison’s armed guards scared the mob away.

The van conveying the inmates escaped from the scene of the accident to its destination without any hitch, adding that the accident led to a protest by a group of commercial motorcycles also known as okada riders in the Ilorin metropolis.

Zonal Spokesperson of the Motorcycle Riders Association in the state, Abdulakeem Sulaiman, urged the government to ensure justice for their members. He said those crushed in the accident were out in search of their means of livelihood to feed their families.

Commenting on the incident, the state’s NCoS Public Relations Officer, Philip Adegbulugbe, claimed that suspected hoodlums attempted to free high-profile inmates who were conveyed to court in the area which resulted in pandemonium.

Also confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi disclosed that normalcy has been restored. He said;

“We have not recorded any death.”

The publication also reported that those who sustained injuries have been moved to the hospital for medical attention and are responding to treatment.