Teen taxi driver fights for life after being hit by ‘drunk’ driver
A 19-YEAR-old taxi driver was left fighting for his life after being hit by a car driven by an alleged drunk driver in Gönyeli. Ozan Polat suffered a fractured skill and cerebral haemorrhage when he was thrown 40 metres through the air after being hit by a rental car at 3.20am on Thursday, September 8, on Atatürk Caddesi in Gönyeli in front of British Kolan Hospital. Suspect Afeez John Oyofo, who fled the scene, was caught with his vehicle about 90 minutes later, and brought to Lefkoşa District Court later on the same day. During the hearing, presided over by Judge Hazal Hacımulla, police sergeant Ozan Avcı was called to testify. Sergeant Avcı said that the suspect was driving east on Atatürk Caddesi when he drove into Mr Polat, who was having a “verbal argument” in the road with “unidentified taxi customers”.
He added that a blood test revealed that Oyofo had 93mg of alcohol per 100ml blood, nearly double the 50mg limit.
Sergeant Avcı stated that Polat was rushed by ambulance to the A&E Department at Lefkoşa Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to save his life before being placed under observation in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Sergeant Avcı noted that the estimated damage to Oyofo’s car was 50,000TL and conveyed to the court that they “need to confirm whether the suspect was driving the vehicle”.
He said that the suspect did not give a voluntary statement but did say that he was driving the car at the time of the accident.
Sergeant Avcı added that police were investigating whether or not the incident was an accident or if one of the taxi customers that Polat had been arguing with had “deliberately or unintentionally” pushed him in front of the suspect’s vehicle, and that detectives were trying to establish the identities of the three taxi passengers.
Providing information about Oyofo, Sergeant Avcı told the court that he is a Nigerian national who entered the TRNC on March 9, 2021, to enrol as a university student but who had been living in the TRNC illegally for 488 days since May 8, 2021.
Judge Hacımulla ordered that Oyofo be remanded in custody for an initial period of one day.
At a second hearing last Friday Oyofo was remanded in custody for a further seven days to allow police more time to investigate.
During that hearing Sergeant Avcı told the court that Polat had suffered a second brain haemorrhage requiring further surgery and that his condition was “critical”.