One dead, two BRT buses burnt, as LASTMA, Okada riders clash
Some say the Fear of LASTMA is the beginning of wisdom but to okada is not erring alone but human.
As two elephants fight while lagosians suffer .
By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Evelyn Usman, Daniel Eteghe & Monsur Olowoopejo
Business activities at mile 12 area of Lagos, were, Wednesday, brought to a halt when a bus belonging to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transportation Agency, LAMATA allegedly killed an Okada rider while trying to escape from being apprehended by the men of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA.
Lagbus on fire
Meanwhile Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN of Lagos, yesterday, ordered investigation into the incident.
According to an eyewitness (name withheld), explained that the Okada rider had earlier escaped after violating a traffic law at Ojota axis of the state.
He said: “I do not know which traffic law he violated, but what I saw was that they (LASTMA officials) pursued him from Ojota towards mile 12.”
“On getting to Mile 12 at about 10: 30 am, the Okada rider still on the service lane, discovered that the LASTMA officer were still trailing him. while trying to connect the BRT lane in a rush, he was smack down by the bus and died after some few minutes.”
Another eyewitness said “as I was coming to the office this morning at about 10: 30 am, I saw an Okada man lying down helpless. And his colleagues and sympathisers were also on ground trying to rescue him.”
“I quickly call the two emergency lines-767 and 112, to come to the rescue. But it took the several minutes before arrive the spot,” he said.
The eyewitness added that if men of the LASAMBUS officials arrive on time, the okada rider would not have died.
He noted that after discovering that the Okada rider had lost his life, the LASTMA officer took to their hills and ran towards ketu axis for safety.
“On discovering that the LASTMA officers have escaped, other okada riders and irate youths at the scene vented their anger on the LAGBUS and the Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, and set the two empty buses ablaze,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Governor Fashola who spoke with airport correspondents, said “I have received a preliminary report of the incident and I have ordered an investigation and therefore I think it would prejudicial to come to any conclusions now without getting a detailed report. But I think what is important to be said here is that i doubt that any Okada man will leave his home in the morning with one sole mission to go and fight LAG bus and I also doubt that any LAGbus man will leave home with the sole mission to go and fight Okada man.
“And this is why I have consistently advocated peaceful co-existence, tolerance. Incidence will happen that will provoke our temper, I am human too and at every time I have find it in me to control temper and this is what all of us must do as a people.
I think it is important here to stress that violence and anger are not options for a people who want development. Violence and anger is not a strategy it is sign of weakness. It superior thinking that endures. And therefore I want to appeal to people, anger management is something that we must develop.
“The burning of 2 LAG buses if that is true, it means that those who participated in it have just also contributed in burning the assets that we acquired with their money. This is tax payers money it doesn’t belong to Fashola. It is collective asset for our benefit. So we bought those buses with your money and my money and somebody decide to set it ablaze, has he really contributed to our development?
Now those buses are not manufactured here, even if we have money now we can’t replace them today. Now, those buses serve 100s of Nigerians every day, so we are two buses short and we are 100s of Nigerians who are going into inconvenience and pain.
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