Human Angle

Pathologist Ascribes Bamise’s Death to Blunt Force Trauma

By Web News 468

A pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Sunday Shoyemi, on Friday, told a Lagos state High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square that the death of a 22-year-old fashion designer named Oluwabamise Ayanwole, was caused by a force blunt trauma on the head.

Shoyemi said the death was ascribed to craniocerebral injury following a force blunt trauma.

The witness, who is also a lecturer at the Medicine Department, LASU, told Justice Sherifat Sonaike while giving evidence at the ongoing trial of a Bus Rapid Transit driver, Andrew Ominnikoron, who was charged with rape and murder of Ayanwole.

Ominnikoron is facing five counts bordering on rape, conspiracy, felony, sexual assault and murder preferred against him by the Lagos State Government.

The prosecution told the court that Ominnikoron conspired with others now at large to rape and murder his 22-year-old passenger.

The prosecution said that the defendant had sexual intercourse with Ayanwole, without her consent, and murdered her, at about 7 p.m., between the Lekki Ajah expressway and Carter Bridge, on February 26, 2022.

“The defendant and others now at large on February 26, 2022, unlawfully killed one Ayanwole by throwing her out of a moving bus between Lekki- Ajah expressway and Cater Bridge,” the statement read.

According to the prosecution, the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 223, 260, and 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

However, the 48-year-old defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, Shoyemi, who was led in evidence by Director of Public Prosecution, Dr. Babajide Martins, told the court that prior to the autopsy, the body of the deceased had been embalmed.

He said that the body had no clothing but a silver-coloured ring was found on the middle right finger of the deceased.

Shoyemi testified that he observed a bruise on the left side of the forehead of the deceased, a bruise on the right temple just above the ear on the right temple.

He also told the court that he observed a large bruise on the back of the skull of the deceased.

“In addition, there was a bruise on the elbow region. These findings were the external appearance.

“Upon opening, I saw what we call Subdural hematoma, which means bleeding into the soft tissue covering the skull, or bleeding into the brain. This was noticed in the frontal area as well as on the back of the skull.

“At the back of the skull, there were multiple fractures, which meant bone broken into two or more pieces. There was a fracture at the temporal bone, the bone above the ear.

“I also observed the bleeding into the brain called Subdural. I checked for deep bruising, the bruising you would not be able to see under the skin excerpt the skin is removed.

“Bruises were found on both lower lips and the organs were essentially normal except the right ovary which had cysts which had a fluid collection. It was an incidental finding which has nothing to do with the death,” he said.

Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Crime

Policeman Beaten to Pulp for Pushing Man Hit by BRT

By Web News 454

A mob has beaten a yet-to-be-identified policeman to a stupor after a man identified simply as Yusuf got rammed by a BRT bus from the impact of being allegedly pushed by policemen in the Ketu area of Lagos State.

Newsmen gathered from eyewitnesses at the scene that the policeman and his colleagues were attempting to dispossess Yusuf of his vehicle when he got pushed into the BRT lane.

In the process, one of the BRT buses plying the lane inward Lagos rammed into Yusuf who collapsed due to the impact of the crash.

An eyewitness, who does not want her name mentioned, said the policemen were responsible for Yusuf’s ordeal, adding that he sustained varying degrees of injury as a result of the incident.

“The policemen caused this; they were the ones that were trying to dispossess the man of his vehicle and while trying to push the man out of the vehicle, they pushed him on the BRT lane and an incoming bus ran into the man,” the eyewitness said.

Another eyewitness, whose name could not be ascertained as he hastily spoke with newsmen when the scene got rowdy, said the policemen, after realising that Yusuf had been crushed by the BRT, attempted to flee the scene but an angry mob apprehended one of them.

He said, “It was people that beat the policeman till he fainted. He has not died because I still observed that he was breathing. People were annoyed about what they did to that man.

“The man sustained serious injuries, look at him lying unconscious on the floor and his blood on the road.”

It was observed as people rushed to the rescue of Yusuf who was seen lying motionless on the BRT lane.

While some policemen attached to the Ketu Divisional Police Station attempted to rescue their colleague who also lay motionless on the ground.

The uniform of the brutalised policeman had been torn due to the impact of the attack on him by the angry mob.

People were also seen lamenting over the incident and blaming the policeman and his colleagues for causing the accident.

According to report, a deep cut was seen on his right arm as people rushed him into a vehicle for onward treatment in a hospital.

Policemen attached to the Ketu Division were seen storming the scene to restore normalcy. The yet-to-be-identified policeman was also rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said he would get back to newsmen but had yet to do so as of the time this report was filed.

Punch / Titlayo Kupoliyi

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Transportation

Bus Driver Dies after Collision with BRT

By Web News 605

A tragedy occurred on Wednesday morning in Lagos State when a yet-to-be-identified commercial bus driver lost his life after his bus somersaulted following a collision with a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle.

The accident occurred on the Ifako Bridge inward Ogudu on the Oworonshoki Expressway in Lagos.

According to an eyewitness, the fully loaded commercial bus was coming from Lagos Island and heading to the Ojodu Berger area of the state when the accident occurred.

On hearing of the death of the commercial driver, whose body was lying beside the upturned commercial bus, hoodlums in the area quickly set the BRT bus ablaze.

This resulted in a gridlock that stretched to the Car Wash bus stop area between Gbagada and Oworonshoki.

When contacted, the Deputy Director, of Public Affairs, Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, Adebayo Taofik, confirmed the accident.

Mr. Taofik said LASTMA officers were on the ground controlling the traffic that was building in order to clear the road for easy movement for commuters.

He also said traffic police officers had been deployed to ensure the free flow of traffic on the expressway.

Punch/Adetutu Adetule

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Transportation

5 Feared Dead, Scores Injured as Train Crushes Lagos BRT

By Web News 576

By Abiola Peters

Five persons have been feared dead and many others severely injured in a fatal accident involving a BRT Bus and a fast-moving train at a PWD bus stop, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Radio Nigeria Correspondent Abiola Peters who visited the scene of the accident reports that the bus with the emblem of Lagos State Government and marked with the number 250033, was hit in the middle by the train while it attempted to cross the track, dragging it a few metres.

Eyewitnesses especially passengers on board the train blamed the driver of the bus for not heeding the blare of the horn of the train from as far as Ikeja before PWD, the spot of the tragic incident.

The driver reportedly attempted to escape but was apprehended by bystanders.

Victims of the accident include persons hanging on the train which took off from Ijoko in Ogun State.

It took over thirty minutes before any ambulance arrived at the scene, while rescue services were carried out by well-meaning individuals.

An eyewitness, Mr Musa Hayatou and many others blamed the unfortunate incident on the absence of officials of the Nigeria Railway Corporation to control movement at terminals.

Mr Hayatou also expressed disappointment over the late arrival of the emergency service providers, despite the closeness of the scene to the Lagos State General Hospital and Police State Command.

Rescue operations by a combined team of Emergency Management agencies are ongoing as of the time of this report.

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Transportation

Lagosians React to Hike in BRT Fares

By Web News 742

Some users of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) transport in Lagos on Sunday expressed their views over the N100 increase in transportation fare which took effect on July 13.

They spoke in separate interviews with newsmen.

Report says that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had approved the increase of N100 on all routes of the BRT to cover the increase in operational costs, such as diesel and spare parts.

A printer, Mr Saka Lawal, who resides in Ikorodu and works at Fadeyi, said the state government should have listened to the opinion of the people before the final implementation.

Lawal, who is a regular BRT passenger, said that they had been discussing with the government through their WhatsApp platform for more than a month before the final outcome.

He said that the money was much to some people and there was fear that other commercial buses would follow suit and increase their prices.

Lawal urged the government to provide additional buses, especially at Ikorodu, to solve the problem of long queues which make many to get to office late daily.

“We understand that diesel is costly and not available at some filling stations but the government should upgrade their standard and reduce queues at various bus stops of BRT,” he said.

Mr Adewale Johnson, a banker on Lagos Island, said the N100 increment was reasonable.

He, however, said there should be more buses to reduce crowd at the bus stops to the barest minimum.

Miss Toyin Ayilara, who plies Abule-Egba to Oshodi, said the increment would affect her daily budget being a trader.
She also urged the government to get more buses.

Also, a rug seller at Itire, Mr Yekini Sanusi, said he had purchased a N600 BRT top-up on the Cowry card, but ended up boarding other commercial buses after waiting on the queue for three hours.

“We are not satisfied with the increment, it used to be N300 from Ikorodu to CMS or Costain, during the heat of COVID-19 but it was increased to N500 while observing the social distancing.

“After the period, the government refused to reduce the fare and increase the numbers in the buses and now they increased fare with N100,” Sanusi said.

He pleaded with the state government to reverse the fare, as the country was facing a lot which was affecting the common people.

A tailor at Tejuosho market who resides at Ojo, Mrs Mary Emeka, pleaded with the government to get more buses to ply Ojo-CMS axis.

Guardian/Titilayo Kupoliyi