BENIN CITY – Four alleged extortion-minded officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) serving in Edo State have beaten a persenger to death for preventing his driver from being extorted by the officials.

The officers were identified as Francis Igboh, Sunday Ogi, Samson Alolade and Joseph Onolade serving at Abudu outpost in Edo State.

It was gathered that the deceased persenger Mr Odion Omafo Samuel, 36 had hired Audi 80 car and was traveling in it with its driver when the embattled FRSC personnel flagged it down at Owuahe Hill, Agbor Road in Edo on Monday, October 14, 2019.

The deceased persenger was said to have aided his driver to put up strong resistance against alleged extortion attempts initiated by the FRSC officers.

It was gathered that the altercation that ensued between the officers and the persenger paved the way for the driver to flee the scene, living him at the mercy of the operatives.

Thereafter, the enraged safety agents allegedly descended on the persenger who they chased to a nearby bush and beaten to his death.

They were further alleged to had abandoned the corpse, returned to their official vehicle and sped off.

It was also learnt that the driver who drove to the deceased persenger’s residence where he earlier picked him in a nearby village to inform his relatives, was accused of kidnapping and swiftly handed over to the police in Abudu.

Police investigation however led to the arrest of two of the FRSC officers who eventually took investigators to the bush where the decomposing body was evacuated on Thursday, October 17, 2019.

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Our reporter’s investigation revealed that the two FRSC officers now in police cell for alleged murder are Francis Igboh and Samson Alolade while efforts were on to apprehend Joseph Onolade and Sunday Ogi.

It was gathered that the suspects in their statements accused the deceased persenger of snatching their booking tickets.

Further checks disclosed that the head of Abudu outpost of the FRSC one Ogbemi Olu was invited and quizzed yesterday by investigators at the police command headquarters, Benin City.

His invitation it was also scooped followed the statements given by his embattled officers.

Contacted, the Public Relations Officer for Edo Sector Command, Federal Road Safety Corps, Edoma Bajack said “I cannot give you any information on that”. She ended our reporter’s call abruptly.

Also contacted, the Edo State sector commander of FRSC, Anthony Oko stated that “I cannot comment on what I do not know. The police in Abudu are handling it…”.

The spokesman, Edo State Police Command DSP Chidi Nwabuzor confirmed the incident.

“Our operatives in the homicide section of the State Criminal and Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID), police headquarters, Benin City are investigating the case.

“It is a case of murder”. DSP Nwabuzor stated.