BY EBUN SESSOU & ANOZIE EGOLE
If only Tosin Ajayi, a 30- year old Union Bank employee knew that he was going to lose his closest friend, Babatunde Badmos and two other friends to an auto accident, he would have done everything within his power to reverse such a ugly situation.

Perhaps, both of them would have prayed against such an evil occurrence but unfortunately, Tosin lost his friend and two others in a auto accident while returning from a night club in the early hours of Saturday, November 12.

And what he described as a disaster, has left him experiencing nightmares every day.

The scene of the accident

The initial newspaper report was that three persons died after a rickety 911 Mercedes Benz truck rammed into Sura Market at the Lagos Island area of Lagos State, destroying shops while several people sustained severe injuries. It was also reported that the driver of the 911 truck, who was also killed in the crash, was identified as Babatunde Badmos. The report added that the driver lost control of the wheels on approaching the entrance of the market and ran over some traders in front of the market.

But Tosin told Saturday Vanguard that contrary to that report, the incident occurred when the four of them, himself, his friend (Babatunde), his friend’s girlfriend (Hope) and Hope’s cousin, Ebun were returning from a night club on Saturday morning.

According to him, “We left the night club on the island to go back to our house at Gbagada Estate when this ugly situation happened”.

Going to the night club, according to him, was their regular activity every Friday night and therefore, there was no premonition that such a magnitude of evil was awaiting them on that day.

Narrating how the accident happened, Tosin recalled,“ I told my friend to drive because he didn’t taste any alcoholic drink and because he was sound. We were confident that there was not going to be any trouble.

Tosin Ayaji

“So Tunde decided to drive the car and was sitting with his girlfriend, Hope in the front seat while I was at the back seat with Hope’s cousin.

“After a while, I slept off, resting my head on Hope’s cousin’s laps. I didn’t know what happened . I only woke the next day and found myself on the hospital bed. I only regained consciousness after I had undergone some medical treatment.

“When I asked what happened to me and the where-about of my friends, sympathizers who helped me to the hospital said, you are the only one who survived the fatal accident while others died on the spot.

“I was rescued by sympathizers who witnessed the accident. They said, our car ran into a lorry that was parked beside the market. The lorry was said to be off-loading yam by the side of Sura Market area of Lagos.

“ According to the sympathisers , the car hit the lorry from the back through the driver’s side and that was why the accident was fatal. It was through the intercession of police and other first aid agents that I was rushed to Lagos State Emergency Hospital where I was treated while the dead were taken immediately to the mortuary.

“Right now, I am still under medication due to some bruises on my body.”

Thinking about the whole thing, Tosin said, “I am grateful to God for sparing my life. I thank God for giving me a second chance through those people around who forced all of us including me out of the car as the car was totally crouched. If not, maybe I wouldn’t have been alive today to share my story. As a child, I grew up seeing only the good things of life but this particular incident happened to me for the first time and changed my outlook to life.”

Tosin attributed his narrow escape to God’s divine intervention .

“I believe God wants to teach me something. I believe that God spared my life in order for me to serve Him and God has good plans for me”.

When asked to give a vivid description about his late friends, Tosin said they were his close friends.

“ My late friend, Babatunde had just completed a two-day visit to my house when the incident happened.”

Until his demise, Babatunde Badmos, was a staff of Union Bank . He was a Senior Retail Officer and the owner/driver of the Toyota Camry car, with registration no CY642FST.