A tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday in the heart of Benin City, where a two-year-old girl lost her life in a fatal crash allegedly caused by members of the Edo State Public Safety Response Team (PSR). The incident, which took place near Ring Road, has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for an immediate response from the state government.
Eyewitnesses at the scene described a chaotic struggle between a commercial bus driver and two members of the PSR, a unit of state-backed enforcers tasked with revenue collection. According to eye witnesses, the agents attempted to seize the steering wheel of the moving vehicle, causing the driver to lose control. The bus veered off the road and slammed into a roadside POS kiosk where the toddler and her mother were standing. The impact was devastating, killing the child instantly.
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“She had no chance of escaping,” said an eyewitness who witnessed the crash. “The bus slammed her and her mother against the concrete slabs, but she was the only one that died. It was terrible.”
The enraged crowd at the scene reportedly turned on the PSR operatives, beating them before taking them, along with the child’s lifeless body, to a nearby police station.
Yesterday in Benin, a little girl was killed—not by accident, but as a direct consequence of thugs being appointed as revenue collectors and enforcers of ‘public safety.’
I saw images of her broken, lifeless body and I shed a tear.
Enough, Okpebholo. Enough.
Imagine if this… pic.twitter.com/kdMA96XOus
— Ose Anenih (@ose_anenih) March 13, 2025
Despite the gravity of the situation, neither the Edo State Government nor the police have released an official statement regarding the tragedy as at the time of filing this report. The silence from Government House has only fueled public anger, with many demanding accountability for what they see as a preventable death.
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Public commentators and concerned citizens have called on Governor Monday Okpebholo to immediately disband the PSR unit, citing its violent methods and lack of proper training. Many have also urged a return to the cashless, digitized revenue collection system implemented by the previous administration, which operated without deploying street enforcers.
“This is not just an accident. It’s what happens when the government hands over revenue collection to untrained thugs instead of using a proper system,” said another witness at the scene. “This could have been anyone’s child.”
