A policeman, Sergeant Adeleke Ogunsola, has died after being hit by an unnamed driver of a former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident happened on Saturday at Daniel’s Asoludero residence at Sagamu, Ogun State.

Our correspondent learnt that Ogunsola was one of the policemen posted to the house for security purposes.

The accident reportedly occurred while the cop was opening the gate for Daniel’s driver.

The former governor was, however, not in the car when the incident happened.

A source told our correspondent that the gate suddenly ‘bounced back’ while it was being opened by the sergeant and he was knocked down by the driver.

The policeman was thereafter rushed to a hospital where he died.

Police sources, who spoke to our correspondent, expressed outrage at the death, saying the state command was plotting to sweep the incident under the carpet.

The cops, who did not want to be identified, expressed sadness that Ogunsola was turned to a gatekeeper at the house.

According to them, another officer was once ‘sent out’ of the building over his refusal to be reduced to a gatekeeper in police uniform.

“Why will an armed policeman be the one opening the gate? Why will politicians turn the police to their slaves? When an officer refused to be used as a gateman in the house, they called the DPO that he should change him and he was redeployed.

“A policeman bearing arms will be asked to open the gate; drivers, civilians and Daniel himself will be telling officers to open the gate. If there is a gatekeeper in that house, this will not happen. This was a man who left his home for work on Saturday, but he died in a mysterious circumstance.

“It is unfortunate that our bosses are not speaking the truth because of what they want to eat. Imagine, officers posted to Gbenga Daniel’s residence are paid N2,500 weekly. Now, that guy has died. What will he give to his family that will replicate the life of that officer? We are tired of this job,” a police officer said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, describing it as an accident that could “happen to anybody.”

Asked if it was appropriate for a policeman to be opening the gate in a civilian’s house, Oyeyemi said, “Well, we don’t know the circumstances that led to his opening the gate. We were not with him on duty. It maybe that the gate is of two arms, somebody will open the first arm, another person opens the other. It’s possible. If he’s not armed as of the time, he could help in opening the gate. But we were not there with him. We don’t know the circumstances that led to him opening the gate.”

The former governor, Daniel, in a statement by his media office on Monday, said the incident was under investigation.

The statement read in part, “On Saturday, February 19, 2022, one of the security details assigned to the residence of former Governor Gbenga Daniel, Leke Ogunsola, was involved in an accident at the security gate of the premises. He was immediately taken to a hospital, and then referred to Babcock Hospital in Ilishan.

“He was alive and responding as he walked his way to treatment all through until he, unfortunately, passed on later in the day.

“The former governor, who was not in Sagamu as of the time of the incident, was duly informed and he has been in touch with the deceased’s family through the police authorities.”

The Punch