By Abolaji Adebayo
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has exonerated itself from the accident in which an officer of the Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC), Ejigbo branch, Chika Nsude, was killed by a hit-and-run Yellow bus (LT).
The incident, which occurred on Monday last week at Iyana Ejigbo, according to eyewitnesses,was caused by an official of Union of Road Transport Workers who chased after the driver of a yellow bus to enforce payment of his union levy.
The driver, who was trying to evade the levy took one way and ran over the officer of the LSNC who was on his way to his duty post crushing him to death.
The deceased was said to be on his way to his duty post when the incident happened at about 1:30pm on Monday.
But punching holes in this narrative, Alhaji Femi Olowu who chairs the NURTW in Ejigbo LCDA said none of the union’s workers was at the scene when the incident happened.
He equally disregarded the report that the bus was one of their buses in Ejigbo.
Olowu, who wondered why the hit-and-run driver was not arrested when he committed the offence by the security officer present, said it has been difficult to investigate the identity of the culprit because no one has come up with the name of the driver or the number of the vehicle.
“At that point where the accident occurred, no union worker could have been there collecting money. If truly it was a union member chasing the driver, some people would identify the union member and would have told us. The accident happened in the day time not in the night. We don’t condone any act of indiscipline in the union.
“The person who confirmed the accident to me said she could not ascertain the number plate nor identify the driver. She explained that the bus came out from Mechanic village and sped off to take one way. The reason for taking one way by the driver is still not known as we always warn our members and the drivers against taking one way. It is hard for us to search for the escaped driver since we don’t have any hint on his identity but we are on the look out for him and gathering information about him as instructed by the police,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Ejigbo DPO, CSP Olabisi Okuwobi told ECHONEWS that she and her team have commenced manhunt for the fleeing driver, promising that he shall be brought to book.
She however urged anybody who has any hint or information about the escaped driver to help the police’s effort.
Demanding that the offender be brought to book, The brother of the deceased,Christian, who said his remains have been retrieved from Isolo General Hospital’s mortuary, disclosed that Nsude was planning to get married in November this year.
