A driver, identified as Christian Innocent, has been arrested for allegedly killing a tricycle rider, Bassey Aniete, in the Shitta area of Surulere, Lagos State on Sunday

Innocent had reportedly accused the 26-year-old Aniete of bashing his car, which led to an argument between them.

It was gathered that Innocent brought out a wheel spanner from his vehicle and allegedly hit Aniete repeatedly on the forehead with it.

Our correspondent learnt that Aniete, who was rushed to a nearby hospital when blood started gushing out of his forehead, died and Innocent absconded with the aid of some people in the neighbourhood.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, confirmed Innocent’s arrest in a statement on Tuesday, adding that he would soon be charged for murder.

Elkana stated,

“On August 11, 2019, around 9.30pm, the Surulere Police Station received a distress call from the Randle Hospital, Surulere, that one Bassey Aniete, a tricycle operator, was brought to the hospital with a broken head and in a pool of his own blood, but he died on arrival.

“Information gathered by homicide detectives revealed that the deceased and a yet-to-be-identified person in a SUV had a misunderstanding on a major road on Akerele Street, Surulere by Falolu, and that during the scuffle, the driver of the SUV brought out a wheel spanner from his vehicle and hit the deceased twice on the head. The SUV driver drove to an unknown destination immediately after the incident.

“After a thorough and painstaking examination of the available traces, the driver was identified as Christian Innocent, 39, of No. 28 James Robertson Street, Surulere, and arrested by a team of detectives led by the Divisional Police Officer, Surulere, CSP Jimoh Jabaje, on August 12, 2019.

“He confessed to have engaged the deceased in a fight over the right of way. He said there was a vulgar abuse between him and the tricycle rider over who had the right of way as they both accused each other of rough driving. But there was no crash between his vehicle and the tricycle. The suspect will be charged soon.”