was halted for more than one hour
yesterday when a conductor (commercial
bus attendant) was killed at Motorways,
near the old Toll Gate, following monetary
tussle between him and two unidentified
officials of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority (LASTMA).
The conductor, identified as Mr. Rashidi
Alabi (30) and an indigene of Kwara State,
was alleged by eyewitnesses to have been
forcefully pulled down from his moving
Volkswagen 14-seater commercial bus with
registration number XZ 78 AGL by two
unidentified LASTMA officials for failing to
part with N50.
It was gathered that Alabi was knocked
down by an Ibadan-bound trailer just by the
bus stop between the Motorways
pedestrian bridge and Bi-Courtney.
As at 12:30p.m.As of getting this report, Alabi was still lying face-
down, lifeless in a pool of his own blood,
with cash of various sums - N50, N200,
N100, N20 - on the road.
He was in that position until about 1:30p.m.
when his lifeless body was lowered into RRS
Hilux van with registration number DL 171
LSD and driven to the morgue at the Lagos
State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)
in the company of his brother, Fatai.
The sad incident resulted in a mob action
against LASTMA officials as aggrieved
members of various transport unions
mobilised to the scene, attacked and chased
out anybody wearing LASTMA uniform,
forcing policemen from the Isheri Division
drafted to the scene to divert all vehicles
temporarily into the nearby Ikosi Road, to
connect the expressway again by Bi-
Courtney end or the Sir Michael Otedola
Estate.
The traffic build-up also spilled into the
nearby Ikorodu Road, engendering heavy
traffic jam.
Eye witnesses said the deceased wanted to
outsmart the LASTMA officials who are
usually settled financially by commercial
buses after loading at the bus stop.
“His bus had moved out of the bus stop
without the usual settlement when the
aggrieved traffic officials pounced on him,”
one of the sources said.
Fatai, who could not be consoled as tears
welled-up his face, said the deceased has
left him and his poor widow to cater for his
four kids.
“How do we cater for these children? He has
four children. His wife recently gave birth
and he is yet to even do the naming
ceremony and now he is dead,” he said.
In Bauchi, a soldier and three others were
crushed to death in an accident involving a
tanker and two Opel Vectra salon cars at
Nairabi Military checkpoint, Sabo/Ngeri/
Nairaba, Bauchi/Jos Road in Toro Local
Government.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)
Bauchi Sector Commander, Zakaria Momoh,
confirmed the accident.
He said six persons were involved in the
accident, adding that the soldier died
immediately while others were seriously
injured and taken to hospital. Three died in
the hospital.
The sector commander said the trailer had a
brake failure and the driver lost control and
rammed into the two vehicles that were
waiting to be passed by soldiers at the
check point.
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