Suspected fraudster fleeing police arrest falls into Lagos canal, dies

Police deny chasing man to death in Lagos canal Credit: X|Omorhemi

A yet-to-be-identified man has succumbed to the injuries he sustained after falling into a canal in an attempt to escape arrest by policemen who reportedly labelled him a fraudster in the Ayobo area of Ipaja, Lagos State.

City Round gathered that a friend to the wife of the deceased man claimed in a series of tweets on X.com that two policemen had been detained in connection with the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, however, said he was not aware of such claim when our correspondent contacted him for confirmation on Friday.

It was learnt that the man was accused of being an Internet fraudster by plain-clothed policemen due to his tattoos.

The victim, who was unconscious at the time he was rescued from the canal, was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja GRA, where he reportedly died.

This was disclosed in a series of tweets posted on X.com on Thursday by a user, Omorhemi, who said she was a friend of the deceased’s wife.

“Yesterday morning, the police chased my friend’s husband till he fell into the canal. They took his slippers and money that fell and left when people started shouting. This happened at the Federal Bus Stop, Ipaja, Ayobo axis. He is currently unconscious at LASUTH.

“The officers were on mufti. They stopped him on a bike, and the bike man left. They searched him insisting he is a Yahoo boy because of his tattoos and started cocking their guns that they will shoot him, he started moving away saying he was not and they started following him till he ran.

“According to eyewitnesses, he stopped and they searched him, they didn’t see anything but insisted he is a Yahoo boy and started cocking their guns; he didn’t even run till they started trying to hit him. He was moving away gently till they started running and he slipped,” Omorhemi wrote.

Reacting to the video on Thursday evening, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the incident had not yet been reported at the police station but noted that an investigation was still ongoing.

He wrote, “Since we saw this video, we have been making concerted efforts to verify this claim but nothing has turned up yet. We have checked our records and no report has been made till now of this incident that the narrator explained happened yesterday. Nonetheless, our investigation is ongoing.

“The Area Commander covering that entire axis is personally on it. Anyone with additional and useful information should please reach out to us. We will keep the public updated on our findings.”

However, sharing an update in a series of tweets on Friday, Omorhemi announced that the man died late on Wednesday night while at the hospital.

She wrote, “He has given up! I’m yet to tell the wife as of now. Nigerian Police! Nigerian Police!! I am not pleased to inform you that this young man died in the middle of the night on Wednesday few hours after the incident.

“The wife went to the police station, Area P to report and the officers asked her if they were the ones that pushed him. She couldn’t wait as she wasn’t stable while still trying to get her husband to receive the best treatment.

“All hands have been on deck to make sure the man survived which was why follow-up at the station was not done. There are eyewitnesses on this platform that saw the incident unfold.”

In another tweet posted by Omorhemi on Friday afternoon, she disclosed that two of the officers who allegedly chased the man had been detained.

“Thanks to some eyewitnesses who have been able to point out two from the officers and the cooperation of their DPO, they have been taken and detained at Area M where the Area commander is @ Benjamin Hundeyin and Olumuyiwa Adejobi,” she wrote.

When our correspondent called Hundeyin to confirm the detention of the policemen as claimed by Omorhemi, he said, “I am aware of such.”