Mr. Razak Mustapha, a witness at the ongoing investigation into the July 4 Ikorodo Road chaos told the three-man panel on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 that a female solider sprayed the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicles with petrol.
Some BRT vehicles were set ablaze at Palmgrove Bus Stop, Lagos on July 4, 2014 during a mayhem that disturbed the public place for more than three hours.
The event that led to the cause of this incident was caused by the death of a soldier.
Mustapha, who is an employee of Mutual Model Transport Ltd., a sub-operator of the LAGBUS, gave the testimony before the retired Justice Ebenezer Adebajo-chaired tribunal.
Mustapha told the panel that on July 4, he was asked by his company to tow a BRT vehicle that had broken down at Palmgrove.
According to Mustapha, their job was to return the vehicle which broke down to the BRT depot.
Mustapha said that while he attempting to start the bus, he noticed a corpse inside the vehicle and immediately informed his colleague.
He told the tribunal that he and his colleague rushed out of the vehicle and made a phone call to his boss, giving an account of what he saw.
Mustapha said as he was waiting for further instruction when a man approached the bus and climbed in to see the corpse.
According to Mustapha the man later informed some soldiers who were passing by that the corpse of a soldier was lying in the bus.
Mustapha said, “They (the soldiers) entered the bus, saw the body and checked his identity card.
“They assigned two soldiers to guard the bus and left.
“When they came back, they started destroying the bus. A female soldier came and poured fuel inside the bus.
“After that I saw three buses, one in blue colour and two in red colour on fire.”
A mechanic, Umeaku, who was with Mustapha at the time of the incident, gave his version of the story.
He told the tribunal that Mustapha told him there was a dead man inside the bus.
He said, “I did not see the body. It was Mustapha who told me.”
The further hearing in the matter was adjourned till today September 18, 2014
Men of the Nigerian Army and the relatives of the deceased soldier will be expected to give their testimonies in the matter today.
