LASAMBUS driver dies after police brutality

Lagos CP, Umar Manko.
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A driver of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, Jimoh Fasasi, has reportedly died after he was allegedly brutalised by some policemen from the Surulere Police Station at Barracks Bus Stop, Lagos.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that Fasasi was on his motorcycle when he was arrested at the bus stop by the policemen around 6pm on Tuesday for plying the bridge.

It was learnt that after a while, an argument ensued between the two parties. One of the eyewitnesses alleged that one of the policemen hit the driver with the butt of his gun.

 PUNCH Metro learnt that Fasasi, 56, was heading to his Mushin home when the incident happened.

An eyewitness, who did not give his name because of the sensitivity of the case said, “The man was wearing a LASAMBUS uniform and I think he also showed them his identity card too. They still did not let him go. I did not think the altercation was serious when I heard them arguing.

“I was working on my motorcycle when I noticed the man fall to the ground. Those who saw what happened said one of the policemen hit him on the head with the butt of a gun and he fell down.”

Some other eyewitnesses said the policemen wanted the driver to bribe them but the deceased chose to call someone for help, adding that this infuriated the policemen.

When our correspondent visited the LASAMBUS office at the General Hospital, Lagos Island, on Wednesday, Fasasi’s colleagues were in sombre mood.

The highest ranking official in the office, who did not give his name, said he had yet to brief his superiors and could not comment on the incident.

An official said, “We were already on our way, because we thought that the fact that he was wearing his uniform should be enough for the policemen to let him go.

“Not long after that, we got a call from someone, who used his (Fasasi’s) phone. The caller was shouting that we should hurry, that he fell down after he was hit with a gun and that he was foaming. By the time we got there, he was dead.”

Another eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Ayoade, a recharge card seller in the area, said immediately the policemen realised what had happened, they fled the scene and took the motorcycle away.

At the LASAMBUS office in the hospital, our correspondent saw a gory photo of the victim’s corpse with a head injury.

When our correspondent visited the Ministry of Health, the spokesperson said the Commissioner, Dr. Jide Idris, had not been briefed on the matter.

 “I will call you when the commissioner has been briefed and he decides to make a statement,” he said.

However, spokesperson of the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said the eyewitness’ accounts extracted by  the police differed from PUNCH Metro’s.

She said, “The policemen were there at the end of the bridge inwards the Ikorodu Road, to enforce the state traffic law. In fact, the policemen also impounded about 13 motorcycles at the same spot.

“The police will uphold the law no matter who the person is. That is why they were not deterred when he was calling his colleagues in the office.

“The eyewitnesses we talked to said after he begged and they did not listen to him, he wanted to rest under an umbrella owned by a recharge card seller there.

“They said he started panting and later fell. He then hit his head on the ground. His colleagues later arrived to carry the corpse. The police did not do anything to him.”

Braide said the deceased visible head injury was because he hit his head on the ground. She did not give the names of the policemen involved.