Man, 39, Kills Keke Operator During Scuffle

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A 39-year old man, Christian Innocent, has landed in trouble in Lagos after he reportedly engaged a tricycle operator popularly known as ‘Keke’, one Anietie Bassey, in public scuffle; he hit the rider with a wheel spanner on his head and he died.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Innocent, has been arrested and detained for murder and risks death sentence over the death of the tricycle operator.

The incident happened at Surulere area of Lagos, where they had a disagreement over the right of way.

The suspect, Innocent, was said to have attacked the late Bassey with a wheel spanner, which he hit him on the head and drove off after the incident. The then injured ‘Keke’operator, Bassey, was taken to a hospital and he eventually died over the injury he sustained.
This was disclosed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, who stated that the suspect, Innocent, was in Police custody.

He said that the suspect, Innocent, was alleged to have had a misunderstanding with late Bassey, on 11th August, 2019, over the right of way along Akerele Street in Surulere, Lagos, which led to a scuffle.
During the scuffle, Innocent was said to have brought out a wheel spanner from his SUV and hit Bassey, the tricycle operator, twice on the head before zooming off to an unknown destination.
The injured Bassey was subsequently rushed to Randle Hospital in a pool of his own blood with a broken head by sympathizers, where he was said to have died on arrival.
DSP Elkana said that a distress call was sent to Surulere Police Station from Randle Hospital in Surulere, reporting the incident.
According to Elkana, “From information gathered by homicide detectives and after a thorough and painstaking examination of available traces, the SUV driver was identified as Mr. Christian Innocent of No. 28 James Robertson Street, Surulere and subsequently arrested by a team of detectives led by the Surulere Divisional Police Officer, CSP Jimoh Jabaje”.
He stated that the suspect, Innocent, will be charged to Court while he also noting in his statement that he had confessed to have engaged the deceased person in a fight over the right of way. The suspect was said to have accepted that there was a vulgar abuse between him and the ‘Keke’ rider over whom among them had the right of way as they both accused each other of rough driving. But there was no crash between the SUV and the tricycle.