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| Scene of the incident |
Olaleye Aluko
The Lagos State Police Command on
Wednesday said Kingsley, the driver whose teeth were yanked out during
fisticuffs with a traffic warden on Tuesday at the Omole bus stop in the
Ojodu area of the state, told a lie.
The police said the motorist lost the
three teeth in an accident a few years ago, adding that the claim by
Kingsley that the traffic warden’s punch yanked out the teeth was not
true.
A senior officer at the command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PUNCH Metro that the police in Lagos had located the driver.
PUNCH Metro had reported on
Wednesday that the warden, Sunday Charles, engaged in a brawl with the
motorist after he refused to part with N50 allegedly demanded by
Charles.
It was reported that the two men fought
during which Charles allegedly yanked out three of the motorist’s front
teeth, while the latter tore his uniform.
The police source said, “The police
brought Kingsley in for clarification on the incident, during which we
gathered that Kingsley lost the three teeth to an accident two years
ago.
“He told the police that the warden did
not remove his teeth and added that Charles did not demand N50 as he
earlier claimed. The fight was because he beat the traffic light and the
warden ordered him to stop but he did not.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP
Dolapo Badmos, while corroborating the police source, confirmed that
Kingsley was invited for interrogation, adding that the injured warden
was driven to Ikeja after he was rescued from the motorist by a team of
policemen.
She said, “There were fisticuffs. The
motorist and his conductor blocked the way because they had beaten a
traffic light. They wanted to make a U-turn at that junction, but the
warden did not allow them. There was no demand for N50 and the motorist
lost his teeth in an accident which he had two years ago. It was during
the struggle that the warden’s hand grazed the driver’s lips. The blood
was as a result of the injury to his lips.”
However, PUNCH Metro did not see the driver in order to have a chat with him.
Also, one of the witnesses, Abiodun
Dada, faulted the police’s claim. He said the police should conduct a
thorough investigation rather than attempt to cover up the issue.
-Punch