10 BRT Buses Burnt In Lagos Mayhem

…Motorists Abandon Vehicles, Commuters Trek Long Distances

IT was like a war situation Friday at the Palmgrove area, Ikorodu Road Lagos as 'unknown' soldiers set ablaze no fewer than 10 Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) buses belonging to the Lagos State government for allegedly crushing to death one of their colleagues.

The deceased soldier was said to have been riding towards Ojuelegba using the BRT corridor when the bus killed him at Palmgrove area.

An eyewitness who identified himself simply as Ismaila alleged that immediately the driver saw that the soldier was dead, he disembarked from the vehicle and ran into the nearby Palmgrove estate.

Two soldiers were said to have pursued him but he escaped. The soldiers were alleged to have asked a security man at the gate the whereabouts of the man. They attacked the security man and left him with serious injuries. When they returned to the expressway, other soldiers had gone on the rampage. They allegedly set the BRT buses ablaze and smashed windscreens of many other BRT buses.

Many drivers and conductors of BRT buses were also injured. Passengers were said to have escaped through the buses' windows. Shops and businesses in Palmgrove, Onipanu and Fadeyi were virtually crippled for several hours following the incident.

Some motorists were said to have abandoned their vehicles and fled the scene. Commuters who trekked along the road were subjected to inhuman treatments. Those who failed to obey the orders of the rampaging soldiers were assaulted.

Commuters who tried to take pictures with their phones and cameras were attacked and their equipment destroyed. The incident caused heavy traffic gridlock for several hours. Commuters were stranded at different bus stops. Some even had to walk for several kilometres to their destinations.

A source said a top army officer arrived the scene later and ordered the soldiers to return to their respective barracks.

Policemen attached to Onipanu were said to have remained in their station without intervening and rescuing innocent citizens. Only policemen who wore plain clothes came out to ascertain what was going on. A police Inspector said they had to step aside to avert clash with the soldiers.

Army spokesman in Lagos, Lieutenant Colonel OA Ochagwuba who confirmed the incident, noted that the soldier was on his way to work when the BRT driver hit and killed him with his bus.

According to Ochagwuba: 'This morning, between 6:30 - 6:45am, a BRT bus knocked down and killed a soldier around Obanikoro area while on his way to the office. The driver of the bus took the body of the soldier into the bus and attempted to drive away. But when the other soldiers who witnessed the incident rushed to the scene, the driver of the bus ran away with the key.

'The soldiers then secured the vehicle which was later towed away to safety in our custody. Area boys then took advantage of the incident and started attacking BRT buses. From observation, you will discover that the BRT buses burnt are far away from the scene of the incident and that the BRT bus in particular that killed the soldier was not attacked nor vandalized and it is still intact.

'Our personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene to restore normalcy so that traffic could flow. You are please requested to disseminate this information to the public.'

GUARDIAN