The Ebonyi State Police Command provided details on the tragic passing of Ayogu Evans, a 300-level student of Ebonyi State University, who lost his life in an accident while reportedly being pursued by police officers on Saturday, December 2.
The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, stated in a press release on Monday that Evans attempted to evade a “stop and search” procedure at a checkpoint along Nkaliki Road in Abakaliki, the state capital, prompting him to accelerate away.
Reportedly, Evans met with a fatal car crash during the pursuit and was subsequently rushed to the hospital by bystanders.
Regrettably, he was confirmed deceased a few hours after the accident occurred, as reported by The PUNCH.
Evans, a student in the Department of Sociology, tragically lost his life amidst the incident involving the police pursuit and the subsequent car crash.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The people who brought him to the hospital confirmed that he was being chased by the police when he suddenly had an accident and that the police officers that were chasing him ran away after he had the accident.
“They later came back to move his wrecked car to their station at Liberation Estate.”
Contrary to speculations, the police spokesperson clarified that the officers involved in the pursuit did not flee the scene.
Instead, they affirmed that the victim had already been taken to the hospital by concerned citizens before their arrival. Their role was limited to towing the student’s vehicle to the division’s station, as explained by the police spokesman.
The statement read, “On December 2, 2023, around 12noon, police operatives on stop-and-search around Nkaliki Road sighted a vehicle that was approaching their checkpoint but suddenly reversed and sped off.
“The action of the driver (Evans) raised the suspicion of the police operatives which made them pursue the vehicle. The driver did not stop till he was involved in an accident along Oriuzor Road.
“Traffic officers were alerted and with the effort of good citizens, the victim, Ayogu Evans, a student of Ebonyi State University was conveyed to the hospital where he unfortunately gave up the ghost.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Augustina Ogbodo, immediately addressed the student leaders and assured them that their concerns would be thoroughly investigated and anyone found culpable will be sanctioned accordingly.
“The commissioner of police is using this medium to encourage the citizens to support the police while they carry out their mandate and to report any unprofessional conduct of police officers on duty to the police authority while assuring the public that disciplinary actions will be taken against any erring police officer.”
