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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Xmas tragedy: LASTMA men beat bus driver to death


Popoola-A-sympathiser-with-the-deceased-wife-Modupe-right-360x225A commercial bus driver, Isaac Popoola, on Monday died after being allegedly assaulted by two officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority in the Oshodi area of the state.
The bus conductor, Aremu Salawu, who witnessed the incident, said the LASTMA officials, Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunrinde, assaulted Popoola at about 6.30am around Brown Bus Stop resulting in his death.
He said the deceased’s bus with number plate, XL166SNK, conveying 17 passengers from Igando/Isheri was approaching Brown Junction when a LASTMA pick-up van crossed the bus.
The leader of the LASTMA officials, according to Salawu, ordered two of his men to impound the vehicle and take it to the agency’s office.
Salawu, who narrated the incident to one of our correspondents on the premises of the police Area F Command, alleged that Olatunde hit Salawu’s head against the steering and the door frame of the bus many times before he died.
He said Popoola, 54, was tussling for the steering with the LASTMA official, who resorted to using the metallic head of the seat belt to hit the driver’s head in an attempt to forcibly take over the bus.
Salawu said, “Baba (Popoola) held on to the steering asking what his offence was. But the LASTMA man (Olatunde) said it was his commander that ordered him to seize the bus.
“When Baba refused to leave the steering, the LASTMA man started hitting Popoola’s head against the steering and the door frame. He did this so many times, until he was unable to talk again.
“I then rushed to Mosafejo Police Station where I made a  statement and people who were watching the scenario were able to apprehend one of the LASTMA men (Olatunde). They brought him to the police station before we were transferred to to Area F.
“They did not tell him (driver) what his offence was because no passenger alighted from our bus at a wrong point and he used his seat belt.”
As at 4pm when one of our correspondents left the Area F Command, Salawu’s body was still lying in the bus.
It was observed that there were no bruises on the head of the deceased.
The 50-year-old wife of the deceased, Modupe, and his son, Ibukunoluwa, a graduate of Accounting from the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, along with other sympathisers were also on the premises of the command
Ibukunoluwa, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said he had just graduated and awaiting his call-up for the B Batch of the National Youth Service Corps in February 2013.
He said his father left their house at 16, Ojo Ogundana Crescent, Off Jimoh Akinremi, Jimoh Bus Stop, Akowonjo, early in the morning of Monday.
“I can’t believe I don’t have a father again. My father left home very early this morning, only for us to be informed by his mechanic few hours later that he had died,” Ibukunoluwa said.
The management of LASTMA has however dissociated itself from the incident.
A statement signed by the General Manager of the agency, Babatunde Edu, stated the errant officials acted contrary to the agency’s operational guidelines.
Edu said Olatunde was identified by the agency’s Provost Marshall and handed over to the police while Ogunrinde who was reported to be off duty as at the time of the incident was still at large.
He stated that the officials were in the area to carry out illegal operation.
“The arrested suspect (Olatunde) has been handed over to Mosafejo Police Station and eventually transferred to Akinpelu Police Station for further investigation; while effort is on to arrest other suspect (Ogunrinde),” Edu said.

20 Responses to Xmas tragedy: LASTMA men beat bus driver to death

  1. kehinde Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 9:37 pm
    He most be brouth 2 justice heartless man,is not even on duty self dey most kill him too Oº°˚˚°º
  2. joshua Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 9:50 pm
    dia is need by his excellency barr. raji fashola to purge lastma . dia a lot of bad eggs among dem. as per dis case law must takes control.
  3. Oluseyi Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 10:15 pm
    This is a serious case. The two must be sentensed to death, so to serve as warning to other bad eggs among them.
  4. M K Bello Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 10:55 pm
    Wickedness. The idiot must be speedly tried. I wonder if these LASTMA officers are trained at all.
    In another dimension. Is there no more respect for the elders. No matter what an elderly person must be handled with caution to avoid this type of situation. He malhandled somebody who may be older than his father. Let him face the music so that other bastard like him can learn their lesson.
  5. M K Bello Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 11:02 pm
    Wickedness. The idiot must be speedly tried. I wonder if these LASTMA officers are trained at all.
    In another dimension. Is there no more respect for the elders. No matter what, an elderly person must be handled with caution to avoid this type of situation. He malhandled somebody who may be older than his father. Let him face the music so that other bastard like him can learn their lesson.
  6. Harjibola michael Reply
    December 25, 2012 at 11:12 pm
    According 2 dis story dis issue is complicated wen d conductor said D̶̲̥̅̊ε̲̣̣̣̥γ̲̣̣̥ d lastma ‎​Α̲̅я̩̥̊ε̲̣̣̣̥ heating d drivers head on d steering and according 2d report again shows der is no Bruce on d head of d driver den d issue is complicated. I just pray dat dis kind of tragedy shld not happen again
  7. dapo Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 12:11 am
    @Harjibola haven’t u ever heard of internal bleeding
    ?they heat the baba’s head on the steering wheel,so he could have been bleeding internally.God rest ur soul Baba.
  8. December 26, 2012 at 12:12 am
    Wth what i use to see in lagos now,lastma,s excesses is getting out of hand.fashola av over empowered lastma officials 2d point that at any little mistake on d side of motorist they pounce on them.lagos govment is using them as a money making venture.they needed 2b cautioned and curbed or else a story of this nature wil stil continue 2come up.
  9. seun Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 4:57 am
    Huum,somebody told me that some Lasma official normally use “juju ring” to fight though I don’t know how true it is.those two Lasma official suppose to be taken to firing squad and be watched by many people.over 170 were dismissed among them last week.these Lasma are working for their own pocket and not for state government interest.may God have mercy on us
  10. Amusan Caleb Femi Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 5:28 am
    Not only the two people should be judge, the so call commander that order them should also be judge along with them.
  11. abbey Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 5:59 am
    Now lastma is saying they were off duty,hummmm,so now officials of lastma dat are off duty still go home wit d lastma van? And also av a commander dat gives orders?and I wonder wat dat Edu man kns sef,dis was how he was in d comfort of his office and said he was sure d lady dat was arrested few month ago was responsible for killing a lasma official while d lady was standing wit another lastma official ,when dey say d accident,abeg lagos pple,shine una eyes Election is jst by the corner,dis pple don’t av anything more to offer lagos state,let us try some oda pple,
  12. okonjı Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 6:11 am
    The fullısh man should be kılled too,cos ı wıtness the senerıo too cos ı was at oshodı when ıt happen,they are just fıghtıng for theır pocket and not for the state govt,the commandant and the murdral are lookıng money for thıs new year.common lasma kılled somebody.he must dıe too fullısh man
  13. akeem Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 7:23 am
    Was it stated in Law that LASMAN have right to beat err driver? Oga Edu should answer that question please.
  14. Emeka Ndumele Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 7:42 am
    Na wa o 4 dis lastma pple?.Is dat hw dey control traffic in Lag state by hitting a driver’s head against d steering.Well,Satan will continue to hammer one aft anoda to fetch out d rotten ones.
  15. frederick Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 7:49 am
    Na wa o. LASTMA is becoming a killer squad I think they should b scraped b4 they kill Nigerians Finish, Lastma in Lagos Boko Haram in Kano I no understand again
  16. joe Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 8:09 am
    how can you beat up your fellow Man till death? this is pure wickedness. and not traffic management again oh.
  17. Isaac Odediran Sr. Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 8:18 am
    This is a very sad incident one that gives no credit to the Fashola’s efforts to reposition Lagos. Faults may not be too far fetched, the types of men recruited into the public services matters a lot as they shall be the yard-stick for measuring the government’s relationship and performance to the citizenry and the ability to live up to electioneering promises. Almost all the LASMA workers I’ve seen on duty or personally observed are only( by my judgment) avarice driven terrorists in uniforms provided by Fashola. You can see them shouting, haranguing and forcefully trying to eject drivers from their seat. Are the background checks made before appointment of these men of low morals into such sensitive duties?. The General director or whatever name is called should be investigated, tongues are wagging around that Edu looks the other way if the report of an errant officer who delivers well and regularly comes to his table. I don’t personally believe in allegations; but one thing that is common knowledge is the often quick defense of the men on the field by their superiors without investigations. For a future better performance LASMA needs total dismantling and reorganisation.
  18. Emmanuel Akande Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 8:45 am
    Lagos state records death everyday, i wonder when dis death case wil stop. Lagosians pls pray alot!!!
  19. Pastor Babawibe J.O.A Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 9:28 am
    Let the justice take place because how can a fellow one kill another one. It is incredible.
  20. tola Reply
    December 26, 2012 at 10:56 am
    pls just comment and do not turn this page into political page@abbey . we always blame government but what will do as individual is worst than government.let correct our mentality as a nation.

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