A 21-year-old driver, Olumide Olushola, has narrated how he allegedly knocked down and killed a police sergeant, Johnson Okediji, during a stop-and-search operation in the Egbeda area of Lagos State. Olushola, who was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, denied deliberately hitting the officer, claiming that the brakes of the Lexus ES 350 he was driving failed. The incident occurred on Saturday, September 26, 2026, along Olugbede Street, Egbeda.
According to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, police officers on stop-and-search duty flagged down the Lexus, with registration number FKJ 223 KX, driven by Olushola, but he allegedly sped off as Sergeant Okediji approached the driver’s side, knocking down the officer in the process. Tijani said the driver initially stopped but suddenly sped off, dragging the officer underneath the vehicle for several metres despite repeated attempts by police officers and passers-by to make the driver stop.
The Commissioner of Police said the sergeant was rushed to a nearby hospital and later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Tijani added that the deceased officer’s remains had been deposited at the Mainland Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while the vehicle was recovered to the police station. The officer sustained multiple fractures and serious head injuries.
However, speaking during his parade, Olushola denied deliberately knocking down the officer, claiming that the vehicle’s brakes failed. The suspect said he had seen the police officers ahead and was preparing to stop when the sergeant moved in front of his vehicle. He claimed that the vehicle hit the officer and dragged him as he struggled to bring it to a halt.
Olushola said he had been using the Lexus for about a month and had taken it to a mechanic a day before the incident after noticing problems with the brakes. He admitted that he noticed the brake was still slipping after buying fuel on the day of the incident. Asked why he continued driving after noticing the problem, Olushola said he planned to return the vehicle to the mechanic later that day.
The suspect, who said he sells phones, gadgets and laptops, expressed regret over the officer’s death. Olushola also claimed that the Lexus belonged to his mother, who acquired it the previous month, and that he had been helping her drive it. The police said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the sergeant was ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police said the command recorded several breakthroughs in its fight against crime during the period under review. He disclosed that 32 suspects were arrested for various offences, while exhibits recovered included 43 vehicles, two vehicle keys, vandalised electrical wires and N2.5m in cash. Other items recovered included five pump-action guns, five locally made pistols, 20 live ammunition and cartridges, 15 expended ammunition, two cutlasses, assorted suspected criminal charms, a television set, a radiator, and a bag containing various vehicle spare parts and tools.
Key points
- A 21-year-old driver, Olumide Olushola, allegedly killed a police sergeant, Johnson Okediji, during a stop-and-search operation in Lagos State.
- Olushola denied deliberately hitting the officer, claiming that the brakes of the Lexus ES 350 he was driving failed.
- The police said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the sergeant was ongoing.
