Hell was let loose on Tuesday at Super area of Abule-Egba, Lagos as angry protesters engaged the officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and policemen who accompanied them in a free for all fight.
The officials of the LAST MA and the Policemen were accused of chasing a motorist who crushed a vehicle which the driver was running away from the law enforcement agencies.
A witness, Babs Saliu said the trouble started when a driver of a Toyota Corolla car was arrested for driving on a BRT Road ,” the driver was pleading that he didn’t know that he had veered into BRT lane as there was no traffic signs to warn motorists.
“The driver’s plea was rebuffed by the LATSMA and its’ police escorts.
“I overheard the driver telling them that he would be wedding next Saturday.
“The LASTMA officials insisted that the man must grease their palms with N100, 000, but the driver begged that he has only N40,000 to part with.
Both the LASTMA and the Policemen threatened to tow his vehicle to their office and the vehicle would be confiscated by the government.
“It was at that instance that the driver and his younger brother said that they would pay the sum of N70,000 and the officials insisted that he must pay the N100,000 or he would regret it. .
“One of the officials told the driver that he should go to a nearby PoS to withdraw the money and give to them and he would be given back his vehicle.
“It was while the negotiation was going on that another vehicle which the driver was running away from LASTMA for also driving on BRT lane hit the Toyota Corolla car and his younger brother and drove away.
The Corolla car driver died on the spot while his brother who was badly injured, was rushed to the hospital.
“The action of passersby and angry marketers who claimed the LASTMA officials and their police escorts always use the BRT lane at that particular Bus Stop to milk unsuspecting motorist who always make mistakes of entering the BRT lane got angry and said that enough is enough and chased the government officials,who escaped by the whiskers.”
It was gathered that the angry protesters barricaded the BRT lane with the Corolla car and other items.
When our correspondent visited the scene, the angry protesters were chanting war songs, warning that government should withdraw its agencies, LATSMA and the police from the scene.
A trader along the road, said,” Look at the road,is there is any signs to show that it is a BRT lane? If you are not conversant with the road, while descending from Abule Egba bridge en route Iyana- Ipaja there is no way that the innocent driver will not enter the BRT lane.
The Police and LATSMA have been using the means to rob unsuspecting motorists of their hard earned money. Today, they have finally killed an about- to-wed. If the unscrupulous and greedy government agencies has collected the money the deceased offered, the reckless driver wouldn’t have rammed on him and his younger brother.
“We are calling on the State Government to withdraw the police and LATSMA from the place as they are working for the government but for their pockets.
They are making millions everyday. They should also do roads signs to warn unsuspecting motorists, especially those coming from Ogun State about BRT.
The normal road and the BRT are conjoined and it is difficult to differentiate the roads and the government agencies cashed in on the ignorance of motorists to rob them of their money.
“Instead of staying on the entery point to control traffic or direct motorists not to pass there ,they would hide somewhere,so when a motorist makes the mistake of entering the BRT road, the officials in company of armed policemen would use sharp objects to barricade the road and swoop on the offender.
“They would never take any offender who pay from N50, 000 to the station, but would end up collecting money from them”.
As at press time, the protesters were still at the scene guarding the Corolla car and chanting war songs” We don’t need BRT, it will never operate on this route again ” We don’t need LASTMA and police here”.
“We are tired of arrest and stealing our hard earned money. Police and LATSMA are working for their tommy” etc”.
However, five police patrol vehicles were on ground trying to recover the vehicle they used in blocking the BRT lane, but the protesters were not ready to give up as they were resisting the armed policemen.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin said, ” I am aware that a driver who broke the law by passing through BRT lane, hit a man and the man died. I have not been properly briefed”.
