Abigail Erhiagboje
At least four persons including a pregnant woman with her two kids, alongside a driver, were confirmed dead on Tuesday morning, when a bus hit a tricycle popularly known as keke in Ago Palace Way, Lagos.
Some eyewitnesses alleged that the bus driver was apprehended by some officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), for violating traffic rules, and one of them got into the bus, in an attempt to move the driver alongside his bus to their office as others followed. When they got to the Okota roundabout, the driver decided to play a fast one on the officials and diverted to Ago Palace way. While in motion, the official started dragging the steering wheel with the driver. They eventually lost control of the vehicle and the bus hit the keke, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman, her two children, and the driver of the keke.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe pregnant woman was said to be taking her children to school when tragedy struck.
The area was thrown into a state of confusion immediately after this happened, as angry youths in the area gathered around the LASTMA official and meted out jungle justice on him. The youths also set up fire and barricaded the road, thereby blocking vehicular movements.
Gory videos of the incident circulating online, show people trying to rescue some of the victims out of the keke which was gravely damaged as the body of the driver lay on the ground.
Another video showed angry protesters dragging a man suspected to be the LASTMA official on the ground with traces of injuries on his body.
However, the arrival of policemen to the area saved the situation, as they prevented the protesters from lynching the man. The policemen also cleared the items they used in blocking the road and dispersed them.
