Some illegal train passengers, who were hanging
on a moving train at the Ikeja Along bus stop, Lagos have attacked two
journalists, causing the death of one of them.
SHOWBIZPLUSng learnt that the miscreants
had jumped off the train on Tuesday at about 9am and attacked the journalists.
The miscreants were said to have accused the
journalists of filming them with the intention of exposing their antics through
their medium.
It was learnt that the pressmen had fled for
their lives, but the attackers gave them a chase, causing one of the
journalists to run into the path of an oncoming commercial bus.
He was said to have died while being taken to a
hospital in the area.
When our correspondent visited the area, the
victim’s corpse was said to have been deposited at the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
Some officials of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority at the bus stop also confirmed the death of the pressman,
adding that illegal train passengers on moving trains usually mobbed whoever
they suspected was filming them.
A LASTMA official, who preferred anonymity, said,
“I saw when the two men arrived here. They parked their vehicle inside a
compound here and brought out their equipment to do an interview by the
highway. They told the security men at the compound that their interview would
last 15 to 20 minutes.
“Minutes later, I heard that there was an accident.
Some eyewitnesses told us that some illegal train passengers had pursued some
men into the path of an oncoming vehicle. When I got there, I realised that it
was one of the two pressmen. He had been knocked down by a commercial bus; he
was bleeding and unconscious.
“We later learnt that while the two men were
having their interview by the roadside, some illegal train passengers had
jumped down and accused the pressmen of filming them. They hit the two men with
planks and as the duo fled, they chased them. In the process, the two men were
pursued into the path of an oncoming bus. One of them was crushed and died
before he could get medical attention.”
A seller along the highway, identified simply as
Olamide, said, “A woman driving a jeep took the victim to the LASUTH, but he
died on the way. Actually, this is not the first time miscreants hanging on
train would attack people suspected to be filming them.
“Sometime they even attack LASTMA officials. If
your phone is ringing and you dare pick it while the train is passing, they
will jump down and attack you.”
The security man at the compound where the press
men had parked their vehicle, Mr. Usman Adogo, told PUNCH Metro that
the journalists informed him that they were from Alausa, Ikeja.
He said, “The men got here at about 8.30am. They
had parked their vehicle and said they wanted to conduct an interview.
“The accident was fatal and the man died before
getting to the hospital. One Mr. Abdul Lateef later came to pick the vehicle.
He also told me that the pressmen were from Alausa, Ikeja.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian
Railway Corporation, Lagos District, Mr. Ademuyiwa Adekanmbi, while confirming
the death, added that the incident had been reported to the police, while some
of the attackers had been arrested.
He said, “Yes, we have a report of that incident,
and the police have been informed. This morning, the police went to the area,
and made some arrests. Actually, I don’t have the names of the victim yet. On
our part, we don’t encourage miscreants to hang on trains, and that is why we
constantly make raids.”
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of
Railway Command, Lagos, Kola Okunola, said the command had yet to get a report
on the incident.
The Lagos State police spokesperson, Ngozi
Braide, promised to call our correspondent back on the incident.
Punch
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