as danfo driver crushes okada rider in Lagos

By Dayo Johnson Akure & Olasunkanmi Akoni

Two brothers and another person were, yesterday, crushed to death in Erusu Akoko area of Ondo State and Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Lagos State.

In the Ondo accident, a drunk driver crushed two brothers to death in Erusu Akoko area, thereby throwing their family into sorrow barely two weeks to the Christmas festivity.

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The brothers, identified as Mubarak and Abu, with a friend of theirs, were on a motorcycle popularly known as okada, when the drunk driver of a commercial bus rammed into them, killing the two brothers on the spot.

The other passenger, identified as a pastor, is currently on admission at the Specialist Hospital in Ikare Akoko.

One of the brothers, Mubarak, a father of three, who owned the motorcycle reportedly picked his brother and the other friend at lkare and were going to Gedegede, when they were reportedly crushed to death by the bus driver.

Eyewitness account has it that “the driver of the bus, who drove recklessly without putting on headlamps, crushed the three passengers on the okada at Erusu Akoko.

“Two of the passengers on the okada, who were brothers died on the spot while the other, a friend, sustained serious injuries and is still in the hospital.”

Contacted, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Unit Commander, Ikare-Akoko, Yinka Akande, confirmed the incident and attributed it to recklessness on the part of the bus driver.

Akande said their agency had been campaigning against reckless driving and night journey, but the people have turned deaf ears to their campaigns.

He added that corpses of the deceased brothers have been deposited at the mortuary.

The traditional ruler of the area, Onigedegede of Gedegede, Oba Walidu Sanni, condemned the recklessness of drivers on the road.

Oba Sanni said five persons have died in three fatal auto crashes within the last three months on the road.

Also, in Lagos yesterday, the driver of a commercial bus, popularly called Danfo, crushed another commercial motorcyclist, okoda rider, to death.

According to an eyewitness, the incident happened at about 10.45a.m. at Fin Niger Bus Stop, along the construction corridor of Lagos Badagry Expressway.

The rider, a middle-aged man, reportedly, died on the spot, while the Danfo driver and passengers sustained minor injuries.

Officers from the state Police Command, who raced to the scene, were prevented from removing the corpse by other okada riders, who are mainly of northern extraction.

The okada riders insisted on taking away the corpse for burial, in line with Islamic rites.