- The suspect claims that he hits the policeman because he thinks the officer was a kidnapper
- He states that he is trying to save his life as the late policeman shot at him
One Godson Tender James has been apprehended for allegedly killing an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, in a hit-and-run incident, the police in Ondo State have disclosed.
The police made the disclosure while parading suspect on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at a checkpoint located in Ifon area of Ose Local Government Area.
According to the police command in the state, the suspect is also a serial fraudster.
Prior to the incident, he was said to have swindled a businesswoman of N4.4 million in Akure, the state capital, and was planning to flee the state.
Upon his arrest, the suspect claimed that he hit the policeman at the checkpoint because he thought that the officer was one of the notorious kidnappers that are terrorising motorists along the Owo-Akure highway.
He disclosed that he was trying to save his life as he believed the policemen were kidnappers because they were shooting at him.
“All of a sudden, as I was going, I saw some people wearing police uniforms, with one of them bending over on the road. As I tried to maneuver, I heard a gunshot hit my car from the front.
“Believing the police cannot just shoot at me, I believe they were robbers and maneuvered to come out at another location. That was when I hit one of them. I was trying to save my own life when I hit the person.”
According to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, PPRO, Funmi Odunlami, the suspect had defrauded several individuals and was attempting to flee the state.
Odunlami added that during the attempt to apprehend the suspect, he struck a police officer, resulting in the tragic death of the officer.