Kelly Okungbowa, the coordinator of the Edo State Public Response Safety Team, announced on Thursday that the agency official who was caught in a widely shared video pulling the wheel with a bus driver in Benin had been fired.
A 27-second viral video that went viral online on Thursday showed an unidentified safety team worker attempting to stop a car by tugging the steering with the driver.
The car’s occupants could be heard imploring with the driver to stop and the PRST official to stop dragging the wheel with the driver because their lives were in jeopardy.
But the driver was bringing him away, according to the officer who was heard stating that.
While pointing out that PRST was not the drivers’ adversaries, Okungbowa stated that the officer’s strategy was incorrect.
“First and foremost, I would like to apologise to the public for our officer’s actions in that widely shared video,” he stated.
No society is flawless, and the individual who made a mistake in that video was fired as a warning to all Commission members.
I wish to tell the drivers that we are not their enemies, but their friends. Ours is to make sure that we do what is right by ensuring that there is order in Edo State, most especially in Benin City.
“The drivers know where they are supposed to stop, where they don’t have to stop and where to pick passengers and drop them.
“We are tired of having this conflict with the drivers every time. I have been doing this job with the officers here during the previous administration. I am appealing to the public to report any erring officer to the commission.
“I can’t be everywhere at the same time, but I assure anyone found wanting that he or she will be dealt with, the PRST coordinator said.
However, he denounced the driver’s behaviour, characterising it as self-help, for transporting the fired cop off his beat to an unidentified location.
Considering what happened on Wednesday, no one is discussing the driver’s wrongdoing. He led the cop off his patrol to an unidentified location.
We condemn his activity in all its ramifications because he ended up using self-help in the wrong way, Okungbowa said.