A Lagos police inspector deployed for President Bola Tinubu’s movement has died after she was reportedly knocked down by a hit-and-run driver on the Third Mainland Bridge.
The deceased officer, Inspector Mercy Bassey, attached to the Ikotun Divisional Police Station, was reportedly struck by a black Highlander SUV while carrying out route-lining duties ahead of the President’s arrival in Lagos on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at about 2:30pm at the Adekunle Intersection, inward Lagos Island, according to a security source.
Bassey was said to have been crossing the bridge when the SUV hit her and sped away.
The source said the vehicle’s registration number and the identity of the driver were unknown at the time of the incident.
The source added that the SUV fled immediately after hitting the policewoman, while patrol officers pursued it but were unable to catch up with the vehicle, which escaped to an unknown destination.
Bassey was rushed to General Hospital, Ebute Metta, for treatment but reportedly died while awaiting medical attention.
Her remains were expected to be transferred to a morgue in Yaba.
The police have reportedly commenced efforts to identify the vehicle and apprehend the driver, with investigators working to obtain CCTV footage from the area that could help establish the vehicle’s registration number and trace its driver.
The fatal incident occurred amid heightened security operations in Lagos as police and other security agencies were deployed along routes designated for Tinubu’s movement.
The President arrived in Lagos on Tuesday after spending part of his vacation in France.
His aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at 6:22pm, following his working vacation in the United Kingdom and France.
As of the time of filing this report, the driver involved in the crash remained at large.
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