When Johnson Okediji, a police sergeant, left home on the morning of September 26, he did so with a single objective: to carry out his duties as a police officer. He did not have an inkling that he would be at the centre of a horrendous and calamitous incident that would abruptly bring his stay on earth to an end.
Okediji would meet his end at the hands of a young entrepreneur who crushed him to death with his car during a stop-and-search operation in the Egbeda area of Lagos State.
How it happened
The incident occurred along Olugbede Street on September 26, 2026. On that day, a Lexus ES 350 driven by Olusola Olumide, a 21-year-old phone seller, was flagged by officers on stop-and-search duty and told to pull over. Olumide initially obeyed and brought the car to a halt, but suddenly sped off as the sergeant approached the steering wheel.
According to Fatai Tijani, the Lagos police commissioner, who recounted the incident to newsmen during a press brief, Olumide hit the sergeant; the latter fell from the impact, and his body got trapped and dragged under the moving vehicle.
The driver was said to have refused to stop the vehicle despite efforts from police officers and passers-by. He was eventually apprehended after the police pursued and caught up with him. The officer sustained multiple fractures and serious head injuries
“The driver was eventually chased and arrested. The officer sustained multiple fractures and serious head injuries. He was taken to the nearby hospital and subsequently referred to LASUTH, where he was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival,” the Lagos police commissioner said.
Tijani said the practice of drivers speeding off when asked to pull over during stop-and-search operations has become troubling.
My brake failed
Narrating what transpired, Olumide cited brake failure for the unfortunate incident, noting that he tried to bring the vehicle to a halt but he could not because it developed a brake failure.
He disclosed that he had taken the car to the mechanic to replace the brake pads days before the incident.
According to him, the police officers at the checkpoint knew him and were aware that he had not intentionally hit the deceased officer.
“My car brake failed, and I accidentally ran over the officer. I was about to park, but there was a slip, and I hit the car in front of me. I couldn’t stop the car,” Olumide said.
“I took the car to the mechanic to change the brake pad, and he told me that he had changed it. The next day, I went to buy fuel before I saw the officers.”
The next step is for the police to arraign the driver in court. It remains to be seen if he would be charged with homicide or manslaughter. The strength of his argument and claim of brake failure will largely determine the charges that will be brought against him.
