The Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Undie Adiem, has ordered a thorough investigation into the killing of a truck driver in the state.

The victim whose identity has yet to be known was said to have been shot and killed by a policeman on duty with others at about 1pm on Monday at a point in USO via Owo.

Mr Femi Joseph, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ondo, confirmed the incident in a statement released in Akure, the state capital.

According to him, the police commissioner has ordered a probe into the incident and given assurance that the defaulting officer would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Joseph said the Ondo State Police Command regretted the unfortunate incident and condemned it in its entirety.

He described the killing of the officer as “barbaric and gruesome murder” and commiserated with the family of the slain driver.

“We want to say that the action of this erring officer does not represent what the Nigeria Police or the Command stands for.

“The Nigeria Police and by extension the Ondo State Command respects the sanctity of life and dignity of the human person as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution,” the command’s spokesman stated.

He added, “Once again, we apologise profusely for any inconvenience or embarrassment this isolated action must have caused anyone.”

The slain driver who was travelling to Abuja was said to have engaged in a heated argument with policemen at a checkpoint before the incident occurred.

This, according to an eyewitness, angered one of the policemen who reportedly shot the driver on the head at close range after which he died.

The incident led to a protest by some tanker drivers, causing gridlock on the Highway while it took the intervention of a detachment of policemen from the command to quell the unrest.