By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA—The pull-out parade for the retired Commissioner of Police in Ogun state, Nicholas Nkedeme,  yesterday, almost ended in tragedy, as no fewer than five police officers, including parade  commander, simply known as Iyang slumped.

The ceremony which was held at MKO Abiola international stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta was attended by dignitaries  including  the Deputy Governor of the state, Segun Adesegun and top police officers.

The five members of the guard of honour mounted for Nkedeme started slumping one after the other putting a question mark on the fitness of men of the command.

The first casualty was the  overall parade commander, who  slumped shortly after he stepped forward to take permission from the commissioner, who took the salute, to match the guard of honour out of the field .

Another officer, a woman identified as  Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Effiong Effanga, who, according to the findings,  has three months before retirement.

Three other also slumped  one after the other, while the parade was rounding off .

They were quickly   taken  out  on  stretchers by the command’s medical team for emergency treatment.

All the  affected officers were still being treated by the medical team at the time of this report .

While reading his farewell speech, the retired commissioner, who was officially pulled out from the force at exactly 3;00pm, thanked those that assisted him while in service.

He  said: ” I  am very lucky to have Ogun state as my terminal base in my service as a police officer. I felt nostalgic, I felt I would not want to go again but the bell rings”.

Meantime,  tragedy struck  yesterday, when an  apprentice Electrician known as Bola Ige,  fell off an electric pole after being electrocuted.

When Vanguard  visited the area, Ige’s corpse laid on the ground about three metres away from the pole with patches of blood on his face following bleeding and foaming from the eyes, nose, ears and mouth.