Taxi driver jailed 30 months for knocking down police officer

A chief magistrates’ court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has sentenced one Adelaja Ogundairo, a taxi driver, to 30 months imprisonment and three months community service for driving dangerously and knocking down a police officer.

The convict had pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge of driving dangerously, disobeying traffic rules, and causing injury to a police officer on duty while driving without a licence.

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The prosecutor, Inspector Lawrence Olu-Balogun, told the court that the convict committed the offences on November 21, 2021 at about 11am on Lafenwa Road in Abeokuta.

Olu-Balogun said the convict violated traffic rules by stopping in the middle of the road and picking passengers.

He said Ogundairo also drove his cab on the public highway in a dangerous manner, and knocked down one ASP Rose Chukwu, while she was performing her duty.

The officer, according to him, sustained injury on her leg.

The prosecutor also said the convict, after hitting the officer, drove off, and when he was arrested, found not to have a driving licence.

He said the offence contravened sections 39(g), 18, 23(a), 36(1)(p)of the Road Traffic Vol 4 Laws of Ogun, 2006. 

In his ruling, the magistrate, I. O. Abudu, found Ogundairo guilty and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment and three months community service within the court premises, for driving dangerously.

Abudu equally sentenced the convict to another 12 months imprisonment on the second count of knocking down and causing injury to a police officer and for failure to report the accident.

On the third count, the magistrate sentenced him to six months imprisonment for driving on the public highway without a driving licence.

Abudu, however, ordered that the sentence of 30 months imprisonment and three months community service run concurrently without any option of fine.

She also ordered that the convict compensate the police officer injured with the sum of N50,000 for the hospital bills incurred during treatment.