Lagos police officer slumps, dies while on duty

A police constable attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Wale Akinlotan, has slumped and died while on duty at Ilupeju police division.

Wale Akinlotan, a Mass Communication graduate from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, had joined the Nigeria Police Force in 2018 and previously worked as part of the media team at the Lagos Police Public Relations Office.

On Monday, Akinlotan, who was serving as the orderly to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ilupeju, suddenly slumped, and despite immediate efforts, his life could not be saved. The exact cause of his untimely death remains unclear.

Tragically, just days before his demise, Akinlotan had been the victim of a suspect’s bite while assisting in the apprehension of an individual attempting 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.