On Friday August 10th, mother of 3 and banker with Stanbic IBTC, Yinka Johnson, was arrested by the police for allegedly crushing an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority to death while driving against traffic along the Lekki Expressway.
According to LASTMA, Yinka killed Hammed Balogun by driving recklessly while trying to evade arrest. But Yinka and her friends have denied the accusation, claiming Hammed was hit and killed by a Danfo driver that was also trying to avoid arrest.
Yinka Johnson is currently being detained in Panti Prison with her 2 month old baby. The police say they plan to charge her to court for the death of Hammed Balogun.
After the cut, you will find LASTMA and Yinka Johnson's version of what happened on that Friday morning
LASTMA's version of event which they posted on their official site
A 33 year old Hammed Balogun a staff of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) was this morning killed by a banker along Lekki-Ajah Expressway while carrying out his official assignment at his duty post at Mega City, Ajah area of Lagos. The driver whose identity was revealed by the Auto Inspector device as Yinka Johnson a staff of IBTC drove in a Green Landover Jeep SUV with registration Plate number CY 276 LSD against traffic from Mega chicken inward toll Plaza two (2) and was intercepted by three officials of LASTMA led by the Head of Operations, Mr Quayum Asafa for traffic violation.
In a drama like scene, Johnson started driving recklessly in other to escape contravention and in the process ran over the officer. The deceased was rushed down to Germaine Hospital where he later died as a result of injury sustained from the accident while the corpse was deposited at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja for autopsy.
Realising what she has done, she ran and escaped from the scene of the incident immediately into Ikota Estate, Ajah with the security men shutting the gate permanently. The situation became riotous as the security attached to the gate refused all entries to open the gate until the intervention of the Area Commander in charge of Area J, Mr Felix Uwamli who mobilized and called for backup before access could be gained into the Estate. The suspect was finally arrested and taken to Ajiwe Police station from where she was transferred to the Criminal Investigative Department, Panti for further interrogations.
Bola Ajao – PRO LASTMA
Now this is Yinka Johnson's version of what really happened
I was driving on Lekki-Epe Expressway trying to navigate to the other side of the road when I was accosted by a LASTMA official. The path I took was a one-way road but residents of Ikota Estate usually take it because of the ongoing road reconstruction on the alternative road. While I was discussing with the LASTMA official, a vehicle crushed another official a few metres away, causing commotion. I did not run from the crime scene as it was not far from my home but instead came down from my car and called my husband.
After the LASTMA officials drove my car away, I went to the police station with my husband to report the incident. When I got to the police station, the area commander immediately took over the case and took me to the office of the commissioner of police. I heard the state governor had already told him about the case.
When I narrated my ordeal to the CP, he did not believe my story. He immediately ordered that I should be taken to the SCID. I am the innocent person here, yet I am being made to pay for what I did not do.
Statement from a friend of Yinka Johnson
You might have heard the story going round about the Banker who allegedly killed a LASTMA official by knocking him down with her car.
Eye witnesses on the scene insist that the LASTMA official was in fact knocked down by a Danfo bus he was trying to accost AFTER he arrested the Banker for a traffic offence.
In fact, her car was about being towed as can be seen from the picture on the lastma website. You can also see from the picture posted there that the car was empty. How did she get back in, ram the towing vehicle and killed the LASTMA man?
LASTMA is trying to skew the story as murder and she is currently in detention. Please note that I have seen her car and it doesn’t have a single dent on it.
Kindly spread the word and encourage eye witnesses to come forward and give statements at Panti where she is being held.
She is a mother of 3 (including a 2mth old baby who is with her in detention). I know her personally.
Please note that the incident happened on Friday morning 10/08/2012 at Ikota, Lekki Express Way. She was on her way to work.
Please call 08037076890 if you have information or witnessed what actually happened. We need eye witnesses to counter their lies.
Some people have been calling me claiming they were eye witnesses...but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with the information because the police is convinced she's guilty. I just hope that the truth comes to light before an innocent woman (that is if she's really innocent) is put in prison for a crime she didn't commit.
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