A yet-to-be identified driver of a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle belonging to Primero Transport Services Limited, who was said to be driving under the influence of alcohol, reportedly knocked down a naval officer’s wife, Bilikisu Adedoyin, at Irawo bus stop, Ajegunle, Ikorodu Road, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that 43-year-old Adedoyin, who was on her way home before she was knocked down by the BRT bus with number plate EKY 160 XR, was taken to the emergency unit of the Ikorodu General Hospital, after allegedly being denied care by two private hospitals.
One of the commuters in the bus, Paul Chinedu, who said attempts to caution the driver, who was alleged to be drunk, proved abortive, added that the concerned authorities should caution the drivers of BRT buses in order to prevent the reoccurrence of such accidents.
He said,
“I was one of the passengers on the bus; I had been complaining about the driver’s speed and the fact that he was drunk, but he did not listen. When he spoke to me, I perceived the strong smell of alcohol from his breath. Suddenly, another bus emerged and the woman (Adedoyin) was on the road; the driver could not control the speed of the bus and that was how he knocked down the woman.
“The most annoying part was that when he jumped down from the bus to see what had happened, he took the next available motorcycle and ran away. Those in charge of the BRT buses need to caution their drivers to reduce their speed while driving on the BRT lanes, and to watch the way they live, because the driver was drunk and that was why this accident happened.”
Another commuter, Jeffry Nneji, said the driver was not focused, because he was multitasking while taking the passengers to their various destinations.
The 22-year-old said,
“Everybody was in shock because of this accident. To be honest, the driver was driving at more than the regulated speed for BRT buses. I boarded the bus at Agric and while on the way, we observed that the driver was scratching the pavement from the outset. He was also multitasking; he was using his headphones and playing music while driving. We cautioned him before this accident happened, but he was not bothered.
“In an attempt to avoid knocking the woman down, he drove into the other lane but another BRT bus was close by and it was too late for him to control the bus, because the speed was much and he hit the woman. Immediately, he jumped out of the bus to see the victim and he just disappeared.”
An eyewitness, Obi Benson, who had wanted to board a vehicle at the bus stop, said he beckoned on other people to come and rescue the woman when she was bleeding profusely on the floor.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
