A bribe-taking police sergeant has been arrested by his colleagues after he pushed a motorist to his death at a motor park in the Iddo area of Oyingbo.
According to reports by the Punch, the Lagos State Police Command confirmed the arrest of the police sergeant, identified as Matthew Oche.
The motorist identified as Francis Ogbole (pictured above), was travelling to Benue State with some of his family members to attend a public function when he was stopped by a team of policemen.
Francis was said to have been stopped at a checkpoint mounted near the Iddo motor park on Wednesday, at about 5am. He was travelling with three of his children in a private car to Benue State for a burial, when the policemen asked him to produce all his vehicle’s documents, which he did.
But one of the policemen, Oche with force number 372727, allegedly demanded why the victim’s rear windscreen was tinted. He then pushed the victim who fell into a gutter and injured his head. The policemen fled from the checkpoint after the victim died.
Punch reports:
One of the deceased’s children, who identified himself as Ebonyi Ogbole, wrote on his Instagram page that Francis was pushed to death after the sergeant allegedly demanded a bribe. He added that he was manhandled and pushed into a gutter by the sergeant.
He said, “Daddy was travelling to Benue State for the burial of his younger sister. On his way to the Iddo motor park, Oyingbo, he was stopped by a team of policemen for a search. Dad and three children were in the car. The policemen were in a metro police van with number plate KSF 176 EE. The policemen requested all the necessary papers and dad gave them.
“While he was about to enter his car, a policeman, Sergeant Oche, said my father could not enter his car. He said the rear glass of his car was tinted. Dad, however, told him that it was because it was still early morning and that his glass was not tinted. The policemen were just looking for a way to extort him. Out of anger, one of them – the sergeant – pushed him. That was how he fell and injured his head. He died minutes later.”
A police source said the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, ordered the detention of the sergeant, adding that he could be dismissed from the force before being charged to court.
Our correspondent gathered that Oche had been detained at the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed Oche’s arrest. She said, “He is being detained at the SDCI, Yaba. He is being investigated. He will be prosecuted soon.”
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