A police van pursuing a commercial vehicle on Friday in Mallammadori Local Government Area of Jigawa State knocked down and killed two schoolgirls while four others were injured, residents have said.
The police, however, said, only one girl was involved in the accident.
The residents said the two schoolgirls were knocked down by the police patrol vehicle while chasing a vehicle that had refused to stop at a police checkpoint.
The incident resulted in a clash between the police and a mob that led to the burning of the police patrol van and the vehicle it chased.
The resident, who requested not to be named, said the girls were returning home after school hours when the incident occurred.
The police spokesperson in Jigawa, Abdu Jinjiri, told reporters the police “were performing their constitutional responsibility when the unfortunate incident happened, and only one girl was affected.”
He said two police officers in a patrol vehicle were chasing the suspected criminals’ vehicle when they “mistakenly knocked down a schoolgirl who was on her way home after school hours”.
“However, an angry mob reacted, leading to injuring the four passengers travelling in the suspected vehicle, and burning of both the patrol vehicle and the suspects’ vehicle as well,” the police said.
The police spokesperson added that the two officers have been arrested and detained for investigation, while four injured others are receiving treatment at the Hadejia General Hospital.
