21-Year-Old Driver Speaks on Lagos Cop's Death During Stop-and-Search

A 21-year-old driver, Olumide Olushola, has shared how he allegedly ran down and killed a police sergeant, Johnson Okediji, during a stop-and-search operation in Egbeda, Lagos State.

Olushola was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja on Monday. He denied intentionally hitting the officer, saying the brakes on the Lexus ES 350 he was driving failed.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, held a press briefing. He said the incident happened around 2:20 PM on Saturday, September 26, 2026, on Olugbede Street in Egbeda.

According to the CP, police officers on stop-and-search duty signaled the Lexus, with registration number FKJ 223 KX, to stop. But Olushola allegedly sped off as Sergeant Okediji approached the driver’s side, knocking the officer down.

Tijani stated, “The driver initially stopped but suddenly sped off as Sergeant Johnson Okediji approached the driver’s side. The officer was knocked down and dragged underneath the vehicle for several metres despite repeated attempts by police officers and passers-by to make the driver stop.”

“The driver was eventually chased and arrested. The officer sustained multiple fractures and serious head injuries.”

The CP mentioned that the sergeant was taken to a nearby hospital. He was later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Tijani added that the deceased officer’s body had been taken to the Mainland Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The vehicle was also recovered and brought to the police station.

While being paraded, Olushola denied intentionally hitting the officer. He claimed the vehicle's brakes failed. He said he saw the police officers ahead and was getting ready to stop when the sergeant moved in front of his vehicle.

He explained, “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.”

Olushola said he had been using the Lexus for about a month. He took it to a mechanic a day before the incident after noticing brake issues.

“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 stated.

He admitted that he noticed the brake was still slipping after buying fuel on the day of the incident. When asked why he kept driving after noticing the issue, Olushola said he planned to take the vehicle back to the mechanic later that day.

Olushola, who sells phones, gadgets, and laptops, expressed sorrow over the officer’s death. “I have a lot of regrets in my mind about hitting an officer of the law. I am very pained about that,” he said.

He also claimed that the Lexus belonged to his mother, who got it the previous month. He had been helping her drive it.

The police confirmed that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sergeant's death is ongoing.