Lagos State Police Command has arrested a yet-to-be-identified officer over the killing of a tricycle rider on Command Road, in the Meiran area of the state.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that the traffic warden allegedly stabbed a tricycle operator, identified only as Eleyele, to death for refusing his demand for N100.
According to PUNCH, the victim’s death led to a protest which snowballed into a clash between tricycle operators and policemen, who resisted attacks aimed at setting the Meiran Police Station ablaze.
The aggrieved protesters claimed that another victim, aged 17, died after he was hit by stray bullets fired by the policemen.
The protesters, some of whom were armed, called for the arrest and prosecution of the policeman who triggered the unrest, which left no fewer than three persons dead.
The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, on Thursday, said an investigation to determine the culpability of the arrested policeman was ongoing, adding that the command would get justice for the bereaved family.
He said, “There is wrong information regarding that sad event; a knife is not part of our accoutrements; police don’t go out on assignment or duty with a knife; it is not part of our accoutrements. The fact that they claimed that a policeman stabbed him to death is misinformation, but an investigation has commenced.
“The preliminary investigation shows that when the altercation happened, it led to them getting physical and the knife that the tricyclist held by his side was what led to it. But we are still investigating the case; the policeman involved has been identified, arrested and under investigation.
“The Lagos State Police Command doesn’t cover up officers that go outside our rules of engagement. We don’t cover up any professional misconduct because it is to instil discipline and without discipline, this job cannot go on.”