Hell was let unfastened on Tuesday at Tremendous space of Abule-Egba, Lagos as indignant protesters engaged the officers of the Lagos State Site visitors Administration Authority (LASTMA) and policemen who accompanied them in a free for all combat.
The officers of the LAST MA and the Policemen had been accused of chasing a motorist who crushed a automobile which the motive force was operating away from the legislation enforcement businesses.
A witness, Babs Saliu mentioned the difficulty began when a driver of a Toyota Corolla automobile was arrested for driving on a BRT Street ,” the motive force was pleading that he didn’t know that he had veered into BRT lane as there was no visitors indicators to warn motorists.
“The motive force’s plea was rebuffed by the LATSMA and its’ police escorts.
“I overheard the motive force telling them that he could be wedding ceremony subsequent Saturday.
“The LASTMA officers insisted that the person should grease their palms with N100, 000, however the driver begged that he has solely N40,000 to half with.
Each the LASTMA and the Policemen threatened to tow his automobile to their workplace and the automobile could be confiscated by the federal government.
“It was at that occasion that the motive force and his youthful brother mentioned that they might pay the sum of N70,000 and the officers insisted that he should pay the N100,000 or he would remorse it. .
“One of many officers instructed the motive force that he ought to go to a close-by PoS to withdraw the cash and provides to them and he could be given again his automobile.
“It was whereas the negotiation was happening that one other automobile which the motive force was operating away from LASTMA for additionally driving on BRT lane hit the Toyota Corolla automobile and his youthful brother and drove away.
The Corolla automobile driver died on the spot whereas his brother who was badly injured, was rushed to the hospital.
“The motion of passersby and indignant entrepreneurs who claimed the LASTMA officers and their police escorts all the time use the BRT lane at that individual Bus Cease to take advantage of unsuspecting motorist who all the time make errors of getting into the BRT lane received indignant and mentioned that sufficient is sufficient and chased the federal government officers,who escaped by the whiskers.”
It was gathered that the indignant protesters barricaded the BRT lane with the Corolla automobile and different gadgets.
When our correspondent visited the scene, the indignant protesters had been chanting warfare songs, warning that authorities ought to withdraw its businesses, LATSMA and the police from the scene.
A dealer alongside the highway, mentioned,” Take a look at the highway,is there’s any indicators to point out that it’s a BRT lane? If you’re not conversant with the highway, whereas descending from Abule Egba bridge en route Iyana- Ipaja there isn’t any approach that the harmless driver is not going to enter the BRT lane.
The Police and LATSMA have been utilizing the means to rob unsuspecting motorists of their hard-earned cash. Right this moment, they’ve lastly killed an about- to-wed. If the unscrupulous and grasping authorities businesses has collected the cash the deceased provided, the reckless driver wouldn’t have rammed on him and his youthful brother.
“We’re calling on the State Authorities to withdraw the police and LATSMA from the place as they’re working for the federal government however for his or her pockets.
They’re making tens of millions on a regular basis. They need to additionally do roads indicators to warn unsuspecting motorists, particularly these coming from Ogun State about BRT.
The traditional highway and the BRT are conjoined and it’s tough to distinguish the roads and the federal government businesses cashed in on the ignorance of motorists to rob them of their cash.
“As a substitute of staying on the entery level to regulate visitors or direct motorists to not cross there ,they might cover someplace,so when a motorist makes the error of getting into the BRT highway, the officers in firm of armed policemen would use sharp objects to barricade the highway and swoop on the offender.
“They might by no means take any offender who pay from N50, 000 to the station, however would find yourself amassing cash from them”.
As at press time, the protesters had been nonetheless on the scene guarding the Corolla automobile and chanting warfare songs” We don’t want BRT, it can by no means function on this route once more ” We don’t want LASTMA and police right here”.
“We’re uninterested in arrest and stealing our hard-earned cash. Police and LATSMA are working for his or her tommy” and so forth”.
Nonetheless, 5 police patrol automobiles had been on floor attempting to recuperate the automobile they utilized in blocking the BRT lane, however the protesters weren’t prepared to surrender as they had been resisting the armed policemen.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin mentioned, ” I’m conscious {that a} driver who broke the legislation by passing by way of BRT lane, hit a person and the person died. I’ve not been correctly briefed”.
Please observe and like us:
