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A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has urged the Inspector General of Police to investigate the activities of officers at Sanyo Police Station, with a view to punishing officers involved in the subjugation of the law over a hit and run incident.
Speaking on the need to investigate the activities of Sanyo Police Station, Ibadan, on Thursday, the lawmaker said a man identified as Mr Raji Idris was knocked unconscious and seriously injured by a drunk driver identified as Mr Dele Ayanjompe, during a hit and run crash that happened in May 2021.
Akande-Sadioe, who represents Oluyole federal constituency, berated the attitude of the Divisional Police Officer and Investigating Police Officer at Sanyo Police Station, who she alleged colluded with the suspect, Ayanjompe, to let him off the hook.
According to her, the victim was taken to the Frontida Clinic where it was confirmed that he had suffered trauma to his brain and sustained severe injuries.
Akande-Sadipe further stated that Idris underwent extensive surgery to increase his chances of survival after which he remained in coma for weeks. She lamented that “his recovery is expected to take several months, while his medical bill till date is over N4.5 million.”
The lawmaker called on the House of Representatives Committee on Police to investigate the matter within two weeks, so that the suspect would not go unpunished for his recklessness, endangering human life and contravention of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I am disturbed that while the victim battles for his life, the driver who hit him has been released by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Sanyo Police Station without any charges as the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Sergeant Muritala has allegedly colluded with the driver,” she said.
Noting that the provision of Section 18(1) of the Road Traffic Act states that it is an offence for a person to drive a vehicle on a highway recklessly or negligently or in a manner constituting danger to the public.
She also pointed at Section 343(1) of the Criminal Code, which states that “any person who rides a vehicle so rash or negligently as to endanger human life or likely to cause harm to another person is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for at least one year.”
The lawmaker wondered why the driver has not been charged to court.
“Considering the law states that suspects in such cases be charged to court for a magistrate to determine if he/she is innocent or guilty and the applicable punishment given, the Sanyo Police Station has violated the law and compromised the case by granting bail to the suspect without any charges under the premise that the victim’s father signed a bond not to press charges,” Akande-Sadipe added.