Police officer collapses and died in Lagos

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

Mr. Wale Akinlotan, a police constable affiliated with the Lagos State Police Command, collapsed and passed away while performing his duties.

After serving as a media representative at the Lagos Police Public Relations Office, it was discovered that the policeman had enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 2018.

Slumping on Monday at his station in Ilupeju, where he worked as the DPO’s orderly, was the Mass Communication graduate from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Akinlotan.

However, the cause of Akinlotan’s death is yet unknown, it was gathered that the young man was just recovering from injuries sustained from a bite by a suspect.

The deceased had reportedly assisted in apprehending the suspect who tried to escape from police custody.

“In the course of capturing the suspect, he bit Wale on his shoulder, his fingers and others,” a source told our correspondent.

Wale himself had posted videos of the injuries sustained during the incident on Tiktok on October 19 saying, “Job hazard. Thank God for life, Human bite is worse than scorpion/snake venom.”

The policeman has since been buried at a cemetery in Lagos State.

When he was contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not pick calls to his mobile.

In a text message, Hundeyin told our correspondent to send him an SMS, but he has yet to reply since Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Akinlotan’s sudden death has sparked reactions from police officers, many of whom complained of poor welfare on the job.

According to officers who spoke to our correspondent, Akinlotan’s death was one of scores of similar deaths that occur among police personnel of various ranks across the nation.

This, they blamed on the lack of rest among officers of the force.

“They won’t give us time to rest. Nobody cares about our health at work. Even when you’re sick, they will tell you to bring a medical report before asking you to go and treat yourself. You work many shifts a day. They won’t approve annual leave for us. Tell me how officers won’t continue to drop dead. It’s sad we keep losing officers to avoidable circumstances,” some officers told our correspondent in Lagos.