Driver ‘Crushes Police Officer’ at Checkpoint in Lagos

Johnson Okediji, a police sergeant, was crushed by a car during stop-and-search operation at the Egbeda area of Lagos state.

The incident occurred along Olugbede street on September 26, 2026.

Speaking during a news conference on Monday, Fatai Tijani, the Lagos police commissioner, said on the day of the incident, officers on stop-and-search duty asked a Lexus ES 350 driven by Olusola Olumide, a 21-year-old phone seller, to pull over.

Tijani said Olumide initially brought the car to a halt but suddenly sped off as the sergeant approached the steering wheel.

The Lagos police commissioner said the sergeant was knocked down and his body dragged under the moving vehicle.

Tijani further relayed that the driver refused to stop the vehicle despite efforts from police officers and passersby.

“The driver was eventually chased and arrested. The officer sustained multiple fractures and serious head injuries,” the Lagos police commissioner said.

“He was taken to the nearby hospital and subsequently referred to LASUTH, where he was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival.”

Tijani said the trend of drivers speeding off when asked to pull over during stop-and-search operations has become worrisome.

Narrating what transpired, Olumide said the car developed brake failure and that he could not stop the vehicle.

The driver said just days before the incident, he took the car to the mechanic to replace the brake pad.

“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.”

Olumide added that police officers at the checkpoint knew him and were aware that he had not deliberately hit the deceased officer.