Hit-and-run driver kills Lagos policewoman during Tinubu’s return

The spokesperson for Lagos Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi…Photo Credit: Lagos Police Command

A female police inspector, Mercy Bassey, has died after she was reportedly knocked down by a hit-and-run driver while on route-lining duty ahead of the arrival of President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Wednesday from a security source who pleaded anonymity that Bassey was hit by a black Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle.

Our correspondent gathered that the deceased officer, who was attached to the Ikotun Divisional Police Station, was crossing the Third Mainland Bridge at the Adekunle Intersection, inward Lagos Island, when the incident occurred.

The source said the incident happened while Bassey was deployed for route-lining duty for the presidential movement.

The source added that the registration number of the SUV and the identity of its driver were unknown.

The source said, “Yesterday, at about 2:30pm, while on route lining for the Presidential movement, Inspector Mercy Bassey, attached to Ikotun Divisional Police Station, Lagos, was hit by a black Highlander SUV while crossing the Third Mainland Bridge at Adekunle Intersection, inward Lagos Island, Lagos.

“The registration number of the vehicle and the driver are not yet known. The vehicle sped off after hitting the officer. The vehicle was chased by patrolmen on duty but escaped to an unknown destination.”

The source said the policewoman was rushed to the General Hospital, Ebute Metta, for treatment but reportedly died while awaiting treatment.

“The victim was rushed to General Hospital, Ebute Metta, but later died while awaiting treatment. The corpse will be moved to a morgue in Yaba for preservation,” the source added.

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According to the source, the police were working to obtain CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to identify the vehicle and apprehend the driver.

When contacted for a reaction, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident but declined to comment further.

“We don’t want to comment on the matter at the moment,” she said.

As of the time of filing this report, the identity of the driver and the vehicle had yet to be ascertained.

The incident comes amid heightened security operations in the state as security agencies deploy personnel for the President’s movement in Lagos.

The PUNCH reported that Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Tuesday following his stay in France, where he had spent the latter part of his vacation.

He had returned to the country after ending his working vacation in the United Kingdom and France.

The President’s aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, at 6.22pm.