Tragedy struck, on Thursday, in Ikorodu, Lagos, when a commercial motorcyclist popularly called Okada rider was allegedly crushed to death by a Bus Rapid Response BRT on Mile 12 \Ikorodu axis.
The incident occurred at about 8.05am at Agric bus-stop when the deceased who was plying the BRT corridor was trying to evade arrest by the monitoring team of the BRT when he ran into the bus which was on motion as at that time. Efforts to rescue him proved abortive as his skull was immediately crushed and his brain splashed on the road.
Eye witnesses’ account said the incident attracted some sympathisers who rushed to the scene to rescue the deceased but this was too late as his skull had already been crushed and his brain splashed on the road. Also, colleagues of the motorcyclist who were enraged by the way one of their members was allegedly crushed to death, took laws into their hands by barricading the road and vandalising other BRT buses in the area.
However, officials of the state’s Rapid Respond Squad, RRS, were quickly deployed to the scene to calm the situation. Contacted, a senior member of Motorcycle Owners Association of Lagos State, MOALS, Tijani Pekis, dissociated the body from the development, stating that the deceased was not their member.
“Any motorcyclist who plies the restricted routes is not our member and we strongly condemn his action. The government has spelt out the restricted routes by issuing the traffic rules, but it is painful that some motorcyclists are defiant and are not ready to obey the rules. If the government has restricted cars, buses and trucks on the BRT corridor, why would some motorcyclists choose to eke a living on the corridor? Henceforth, the government should arrest both the motorcyclist and passengers. Perhaps, this will minimise this type of incident.”
As at the time of filing this report, efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus proved abortive, as she did not respond to her calls.
It would be recalled that in 2012, the former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, signed the Lagos Traffic Bill into law, restricting commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada riders, from plying 475 major routes, including the BRT corridor within the state metropolis.
— Vanguard
