A mob on Thursday killed a policeman over the death of a woman and two children at a checkpoint on Owerri Road, Onitsha, Anambra state.

Witnesses said that the incident occurred at 3.30p.m. when the policeman attempted to stop an articulated vehicle loaded with sand.

According to the witnesses, the driver lost control, causing the fatal accident.

“A tipper driver who was carrying sharp sand tried to meander his way past the policemen at the checkpoint but in the attempt to escape ran into the woman and children.

“I wouldn’t know exactly why the tipper driver was stopped but immediately the accident happened, the policemen around the area made effort to leave the scene but were attacked by the mob,” a witness said.

The witness said that the victims were standing by the roadside to board a vehicle to their destination when they were killed.

Another witness said that the mob spontaneously chased the policemen and beat up two of them, while the others escaped with their guns.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the factory located near the police checkpoint was set ablaze by the mob.

The incident later forced police from Okpoko Police Station in Onitsha to carry out a mass arrest of persons along the busy road.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Nkeiru Nwode, expressed dismay over the development, saying the youths should have reported the matter to the police.

“It was just an accident. Three people died on the spot and their remains have been deposited in the mortuary.

“The scene of the accident has also been barricaded and the police are in control of the situation,” she said.

Nwode said the police were against unlawful assembly and would not relent in efforts to maintain peace and order in the state.