Man Jumps Into Lagos Canal, Dies While Attempting To Evade Police Arrest

The Lagos State command of the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the tragic death of a man who reportedly leapt into a canal in an attempt to evade arrest in the Ipaja region of the state.

Naija News reports that the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, conveyed this information through a post on his verified X account on Friday.

According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at approximately 10:00 a.m. in the Mosan Okunola area of Ipaja.

In response to claims that the man had an encounter with the police, who pursued him into the canal, Hundeyin clarified that these assertions were inaccurate.

He mentioned that police officials visited the site and spoke with eyewitnesses who willingly provided their accounts of the tragic event.

“The young man was a passenger on a motorcycle, riding against the traffic. Immediately they sighted the police approaching in their vehicle; the rider made a sharp u-turn while the passenger jumped off the motorcycle, crossed the road and ran through a nearby tipper garage.

“People in the garage who saw him running towards the canal and at the same time emptying the contents of his pockets agitatedly warned him about a canal ahead.

“He did not stop but unfortunately jumped into the canal,” the police image maker said.

Hundeyin said that the police officers, startled at his behaviour, stopped their vehicle, descended, and went toward the canal.

“The people around informed the police that the young man had jumped into the canal.

“They all went to look, waited some minutes, did not see him, upon which the police left, believing he successfully evaded them.

“The police officers did not speak with him; did not touch him, did not chase him, did nothing. The young man simply saw them and bolted, ” Hundeyin explained.

The police image maker reassured Lagosians that the command, under CP Olanrewaju Ishola, would not condone any form of unprofessional conduct on the part of its officers.

The spokesperson prayed to God to give the deceased’s family the fortitude to bear the loss.