The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four policemen in connection with the death of a bus conductor, Ikechukwu Abarisim, who was crushed to death by a vehicle on Monday, October 27, 2014 at Cele Bus stop along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
It was learnt that one of the police officials in a bid to arrest the deceased conductor had dragged him from the bus which was moving and he fell off to the ground while a second police officer reportedly driving another vehicle reportedly crushed his head.
Contrarily, another version of the story had it that it was a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official who was driving the bus that crushed Abarisim’s head.
Meanwhile, an angry mob had destroyed some property at the LASTMA office in Cele during a demonstration following the attack although some police officers later calmed the situation.
A statement released by a spokesperson of LASTMA, Mr. Mamud Hassan, on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, maintained that it was a policemen attached to the agency that crushed the late conductor.
Further adding that four police officials had been detained at the Itire Police Station in connection with the tragic incident.
Part of the statement said, “Some policemen attached to the agency (LASTMA) were trying to arrest a commercial bus who contravened the LagosTraffic Law. At the time of the incident, no LASTMA official was involved in the attempted arrest, neither was an official of the agency at the scene or vicinity of the incident that claimed the victim’s life.
“However, immediately after the death of the victim, sympathisers and hoodlums invaded the LASTMA Zone 30 Cele- Ijesha office, where they unleashed mayhem, destroyed impounded vehicles and other valuables.”
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu, assured that the pperpetratorsof the act would be trailed and punished accordingly.
He said, “I commiserate with the relatives of the deceased and assure them of the support of the agency in unravelling the truth surrounding the death of their bread winner. The policemen who were allegedly involved in the matter have been handed over to the police at the Itire Police Station for further investigation into the matter.”
When contacted, the Lagos State police spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, declined speaking about the incident.
“Investigation into the matter is ongoing. Men from both agencies are being held and interrogated in connection with the incident. We will speak after investigation,” he said.
