A 21-year-old driver, Olumide Olushola, has been arrested for allegedly knocking down and killing a police sergeant, Johnson Okediji, during a stop-and-search operation in the Egbeda area of Lagos State.
Olushola was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja on Monday, following the incident which occurred on Saturday, September 26, 2026, along Olugbede Street, Egbeda.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, said the incident happened at about 2.20pm when police officers conducting a stop-and-search operation flagged down a Lexus ES 350, with registration number FKJ 223 KX, driven by Olushola.
According to the commissioner, the driver initially stopped but allegedly accelerated as Sergeant Okediji approached the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Tijani said the officer was knocked down and dragged for several metres before the driver was eventually stopped following a chase involving the police and members of the public.
The CP said Okediji sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital before being referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Tijani said the remains of the deceased officer had been deposited at the Mainland Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while the Lexus was recovered and taken to the police station.
Speaking during his parade, however, Olushola denied deliberately hitting the police officer, attributing the incident to a brake failure.
The suspect claimed that he had seen the police officers ahead and was preparing to stop when Sergeant Okediji moved in front of the vehicle.
According to him, the vehicle failed to respond when he attempted to apply the brakes, resulting in the collision.
“I was trying to stop the vehicle. The vehicle didn’t stop. That’s when the vehicle hit another vehicle in front. That’s when I fell down with the person sitting next to me,” he said.
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 a problem with the brakes.
“I carried the vehicle to the mechanic the day before that day. I told the mechanic to change all the brake pads in the vehicle, and the mechanic told me he had changed all the brake pads,” he said.
He, however, admitted that he noticed the brake was still slipping after buying fuel on the day of the incident.
Asked why he continued driving despite noticing the problem, Olushola said he intended to return the vehicle to the mechanic later that day.
The suspect, who identified himself as a dealer in phones, gadgets and laptops, expressed regret over the death of the police officer.
“I have a lot of regrets in my mind about hitting an officer of the law. I am very pained about that,” he said.
Olushola also told journalists that the Lexus belonged to his mother, who reportedly acquired it the previous month, adding that he had been assisting her with driving the vehicle.
The police commissioner said investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident was ongoing.
