Policeman fights truck driver, loses gun over N500

A yet-to-be identified policeman in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, is in the eye of the storm after he was caught on camera fighting with a truck driver and his friends in the community.

The policeman was seen in the video struggling with the three men during which his rifle fell off.

One of the men was seen escaping with the rifle as the policeman later jumped into the truck.

The man recording the incident was overheard saying repeatedly, “You don’t have sense,” while another man beside him screamed, “Snap them; run away with the gun. You are a stupid policeman. You have been caught on camera. You are done for.”

The man recording the drama said, “You are a fool. You will be sacked. You don’t have sense,” before an observer of the scene said, “This is the second time he will be doing this. He fought with another man here sometime ago.”

The resident that posted the video on Facebook, Mc Gabito D’laffgiva, said the scuffle happened after a disagreement over a N500 bribe demanded by the policeman from the truck driver.

He said, “The shameless policeman got himself in a fight because he wanted to collect a N500 bribe from a truck driver carrying scrap. I am an eyewitness. It happened along Odo Nla Road, Odogunyan.”

D’laffgiva has yet to respond to further enquiries from our correspondent about the incident as of press time.

However, some commentators on the post queried him for taking part in the molestation of the policeman.

One Fayanju Ayokunle said, “You beat up a policeman and collected his rifle and you have the decency to post it online. I am not surprised. In a country where civics is not taught in schools, what do we expect? More curious is the fact that most commentators are jumping into conclusion on the events that unfolded; it’s quite saddening. The video starts with a policeman struggling with three other men without his rifle. The rifle falls and one of them runs away with it. I say shame on those guys that were beating up a policeman and shame on you that jumped into conclusion without having the full story.”

Another commentator, Dele Aina, said, “Agreed that the policeman is a bastard, but the guys fighting with a lunatic policeman with AK-47 rifle are the most stupid humans on earth. They (the police) kill people on a daily basis; how could you dare such a useless policeman? Both of them fighting lack something. The policeman lacks home training and the men fighting him lack common sense.”

D’laffgiva, who replied the men, said he witnessed the fight from the beginning to the end, saying the driver and his friends were not to blame.

He said, “Point of correction sir, I did not beat up a policeman.  I only witnessed the stupidity of a policeman who shamelessly disgraced himself before the entire public because of his own selfishness.

“The policeman had been hitting and slapping the truck driver. He could not bear it; that was why he fought back. Even when his (police) team members came around, they all blamed the policeman.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said she was not aware of the incident.

She said, “I have yet to ascertain that. I will get back to you at the appropriate time.”