Stabbed Policeman who killed Apapa trailer driver undergoes surgery to save life

A policeman who shot a trailer driver dead in Apapa last Wednesday is said to be currently battling with his own life, following the stab wound he got during the incident.

The police sergeant who was arrested by police soon after the incident, is said to have undergone surgery as part of the measures to save his life from the stab wound.

The police sergeant attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 23, had Wednesday, allegedly shot the driver, identified simply as Azeez during an altercation over parking at the front of a Diamond Bank in the the area.

The policeman also got stabbed in the process as angry colleagues of the dead driver went on the rampage, setting fire to two buildings belonging to Sterling and Diamond banks.

They also allegedly vandalised property and vehicles.

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Speaking ro newsmen on the latest development on the incident on Friday, the Lagos Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, at command headquarters, Ikeja, condemned the killing of the truck driver.

“It was an unfortunate incident. Like we said before, the policeman in question has been taken into custody and currently being guarded in the hospital because he was stabbed. As of this morning (Friday) he was taken to the theatre for surgery. That notwithstanding, the provisions of extant regulations of the police would be applied in dealing with the situation. Without justifying their actions, I think the reaction from the drivers was as a result of bottled up anger. Some of them left their families to load at the port with expectation to return within two days, only to spend one week there.

“But that does not mean they should take laws into their hands. What they did was brazen lawlessness. We appeal to the public that when things happen like that, the rule of law should be allowed to take its course.

“The police are at the forefront of cleansing institutional rot and we would continue to do that. No policeman is given a gun to shoot at will.

“That officer is not one of us. He acted on his capacity as an individual not for the police. The Inspector General of Police (IG) has been very clear on this. He abhors lawlessness and has zero tolerance for cops who do not keep to the tenets of standard policing.

“I apologise to the public for the act of misconduct exhibited by that policeman. We would continue to ensure training and retraining of our personnel so that they discharge their responsibilities within the ambit of the law,” Owoseni said.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, disclosed that the sergeant who shot Azeez dead and 18 suspected hoodlums were arrested over the incident.

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