There was
apprehension at the Agric end of the Ikorodu Road, Lagos State on Thursday
after a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle crushed
a motorcyclist, Taiwo Adeleye, to
death.
A crowd of angry
motorcyclists, sympathisers threatened mayhem, but they were held back by the
heavy presence of security personnel who swiftly responded to the emergency.
Policemen from the
Owutu division, together with police officers from surrounding divisions, were
supported by officials of the Rapid Response Squad and military officers to
maintain the peace in the area.
A chopper
belonging to the RRS also hovered around the scene to forestall a breakdown of
law and order.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Adeleye had encroached on the BRT corridor
while searching for a prospective passenger.
As the Oyo State
indigene rode on the corridor, he reportedly crashed into an iron barricade and
fell to the ground.
The back tyre of a
speeding BRT vehicle was reported to have climbed on him, breaking his skull
open. He died on the spot.
A witness, who
asked not to be named, said the incident happened around 8am.
He said, “The
motorcycle rider had just dropped a passenger and he rode into the park. He
decided to go to the expressway, after he saw a would-be passenger.
“As he rode there,
he stumbled and crashed against the barricade and fell. The BRT driver, who did
not see him, just continued his movement and the bus crushed him to death.”
A security officer,
however, told our correspondent that the victim did not stumble or crash
against the barricade, adding that a jeep triggered the accident.
The officer said
the speeding jeep had hit Adeleye’s motorcycle, adding that he fell to the
ground before the BRT climbed on him and killed him.
“The jeep driver
just sped off, without knowing what he had caused,” she said.
The road was said
to have been splattered with the victim’s blood and brains.
The BRT driver,
Oguntoyinbo Akinola, who later pulled over as his passengers took to their
heels, was eventually arrested by the police.
Friends of the
victim and motorcyclists in the area reportedly went on the rampage, attempting
to vandalise other BRT vehicles.
But the security
agencies were said to have stopped them.
To avert any
crisis in the area, all the BRT buses plying the Ikorodu area were ordered to
cease operation pending when the tension would die down.
A resident, Jamiu
Ogunyemi, lauded the police for handling the situation well.
He said, “If not
for the presence of the police, the hoodlums in this community would have
caused a lot of damage. In fact, they were already mobilising, but because of
the heavy presence of security agents, all they could do was to watch and wail
from afar. The police were all over the place – air and land.”
The Police Public
Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident.
She said, “A BRT
bus killed a motorcycle rider at Agric bus stop at about 8.15am. The man’s name
is Taiwo Ad eleye, an indigene of Oyo State. Other commercial riders rioted,
but the command moved in quickly and restore normalcy.
“The corpse has
been deposited at a mortuary in Ikorodu. The family of the victim has already
been contacted and we are aware that they are in talks with the management of
the BRT.”
The spokesperson
for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, owners of the BRT, Mr.
Kolawole Ojelabi, said he was not aware of the incident.
He said, “I am not
aware of the incident. I don’t know anything about it.”
Source: Punch Newspaper
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