Lagos Driver Explains How Police Sergeant Was Killed During Stop-and-Search
What began as a routine stop-and-search operation in Lagos ended with the death of a police sergeant and the arrest of a 21-year-old driver.
The suspect, identified as Olumide Olushola, was paraded by the Lagos State Police Command after Sergeant Johnson Okediji was knocked down by the Lexus ES 350 he was driving in the Egbeda area of the state.
But Olushola has disputed the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death.
While the police say the driver sped away as the sergeant approached his vehicle, Olushola insists he never intended to hit the officer. According to him, the vehicle’s brakes failed, leaving him struggling to bring it under control.
The incident happened at about 2:20pm on Saturday, September 26, 2026, along Olugbede Street, Egbeda.
According to Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, officers were conducting a stop-and-search operation when they flagged down the Lexus, bearing registration number FKJ 223 KX.
The vehicle initially stopped.
The situation changed when Sergeant Okediji moved towards the driver’s side.
The police account states that the Lexus suddenly accelerated, striking the officer and pulling him underneath the vehicle for several metres.
Officers and members of the public reportedly tried repeatedly to get the driver to stop before he was eventually chased and arrested.
The sergeant suffered multiple fractures and severe head injuries.
He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
His remains were subsequently deposited at the Mainland Hospital Mortuary, where an autopsy is expected to be carried out.
The Lexus was also recovered by the police as investigators began examining exactly what happened.
During his parade, however, Olushola gave a different account.
He said he had already noticed the officers ahead and was preparing to stop when Sergeant Okediji moved in front of the car.
According to the suspect, he pressed the brakes but the vehicle failed to respond.
He said the Lexus eventually struck another vehicle before he lost control and fell along with the person who was inside the car with him.
Olushola also revealed that the vehicle had experienced brake problems before the incident.
He said he took it to a mechanic the day before the crash and instructed the mechanic to replace all the brake pads.
The mechanic, he said, assured him that the work had been completed.
But there was still a warning sign.
After purchasing fuel on the day of the incident, Olushola said he noticed that the brake was still slipping.
Despite that, he continued driving, explaining that he intended to return the vehicle to the mechanic later that day.
That decision is now part of the circumstances investigators will have to examine as they try to establish how the sergeant died.
Olushola, who described himself as a seller of phones, gadgets and laptops, expressed remorse over the incident.
He said he was deeply troubled by the death of the officer and regretted what had happened.
The suspect further told police that the Lexus belonged to his mother, who had acquired it the previous month, and that he had been assisting her with driving the vehicle.
For now, the police investigation remains ongoing, with the authorities expected to determine whether the evidence supports the suspect’s claim of brake failure or the police account of what happened during the stop-and-search operation.
Beyond the Egbeda incident, Commissioner Tijani also announced other arrests and recoveries recorded by the Lagos State Police Command during the period under review.
According to him, 32 suspects were arrested in connection with different offences.
Among the recovered items were 43 vehicles, two vehicle keys, vandalised electrical cables and ₦2.5 million in cash.
The police also recovered five pump-action firearms, five locally made pistols, 20 rounds of live ammunition and cartridges, as well as 15 expended rounds.
Other exhibits included two cutlasses, assorted items suspected to be criminal charms, a television set, a radiator, and a bag containing various vehicle spare parts and tools.
But the investigation into Sergeant Okediji’s death remains one of the cases drawing particular attention, as investigators work to establish exactly what happened in the moments between the vehicle being flagged down and the fatal collision.
(Source: Punch Newspapers)
