The rough-looking five policemen reeking in alcoholic had with a police patrol-van without registration number and bearing no police emblem that declares their station; took one way at the Iyano Isolo roundabout Bus stop, near the Lagos State Polytechnic and block a moving bus crammed with 22 passengers while a trailer loaded with 48ft container was trailing behind the bus.
It took the shouts of passers-by for the driver of the trailer to smartly dodge the bus which the police had blocked.
Witness account told Daily Newswatch that the action of the police could have caused the trailer to overrun the bus and crush the passengers. The trailer belonging to Dangote Company was making a u-turn at the popular Polytechnic while the commercial bus was coming from Isolo end of the road.
The police van led by one Sergeant Adeleye M and another officer identified as Soko with other three officers took one way of the round-about and blocked the bus in front of the Campus in a near crash of magnitude. But what was the offence of the driver?
The police officers claimed that somebody was hanging at the rear of the bus even as the conductor of the bus was on his seat. The scene draws the attention of the students and passers-by and disrupted vehicle movement for 10 minutes. Plea from the passengers inside the bus failed on the police officers’ deaf ears as they were causing and abusing passengers who tried to warn them on their illegal activities.
The scene later generated a heated argument between the passenger and the leader of the police officers who was wearing name tag- Adeleye M while Sooko was treating to shoot the passenger with his gun.
According to Adeleye who said he was a son of an ‘Army general’ the passenger was wrong to complain hence they are on duty. He alleged that the passenger in the course of complaining abused him.
Adeleye who claimed to have returned from Sudan on Peace Mission said he can kill the passenger and nothing would happen further said he was trying to correct his officers for the dangerous driving and wasn’t inside the bus when the driver drove recklessly to stop a moving bus. Witness said he slapped the passenger twice and treated to shoot him and claim that the passenger was dragging gun from him.
As that wasn’t enough, the police officers disconnect the bus and took away the battery of the bus to their station. At the station, the driver of the bus said they collected N2000 bribe from them and returned their battery. As the driver was fixing the bus, the police officers were seen chasing another vehicle in a dangerous move to exploit the commercial drivers.
Just last year, a commercial motorcyclist, popularly called okada rider, identified as Rahman, was allegedly chased to death by men of the Nigerian Police Force at Akowonjo Roundabout, Alimosho Local Government, Lagos, and southwest Nigeria.
The deceased was crushed to death by a fast moving articulated vehicle at about 6pm, while trying to evade police arrest.
The sad incident resulted in traffic gridlock and motorists were stranded for hours as Okada riders in the vicinity went on the rampage to protest the death of their colleague.
The deceased, a tailor rode the motorcycle in the evening after close of work to make some money.
Witness told our correspondent that the deceased was trying to evade arrest by the policemen who were on patrol in the area, apparently to enforce restriction of okada on that particular road as specified by the Lagos Traffic Law.
The victim was coming from Shasha end of the road en-route Akowonjo roundabout after close of work as a tailor when he ran into the policemen on patrol. It was gathered that he had only gone to make a U-turn from the same roundabout when he could not find a passenger to carry.
He ran into policemen and in an attempt to escape from the arrest he fell under the tyre of the articulated vehicle which crushed him.
Other okada riders, who were watching the development, immediately blocked the road and went after the policemen on patrol.
A combined team of regular and anti-riot policemen restored normalcy after shooting in the air to scare away the rampaging youths and okada riders.
Lawlessness has constantly being the order of the day among the Nigerian police officers. There was also a case of reported accident caused by police officers. It was alleged that police shot in the chest a young man with life at the Ilupeju Bypass in Ilupeju by policemen from the Ilupeju Police Station who were chasing him and trying to seize his Okada.
According to witness, the Okada man was trying to escape arrest when one of the policemen chasing him shot him in the chest.
After the shooting, the policemen entered their van and sped off. Passersby then rushed the young man to Teju Hospital which is just adjacent to the where the incident happened.
At least, two people lost their lives on the ever-busy Lagos Abeokuta Expressway when a trailer carrying a container crushed the driver of Eko Meat Van and his aide to death.
It was reported that six other injured victims were immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.
The report said a truck conveying a 20-feet container rammed into the Eko meat van when some policemen attached to the Rapid Respond Squad were chasing a commercial motorcycle plying the proscribed highway.
The driver of the truck did not want to kill the Okada man. As he struggled to avoid running into the meat van, he lost control, swerved to the pavement and fell on the meat van. The driver and his assistant died on the spot.
Once again, the reckless driving of the Nigeria police has received sever criticisms following the incident of January 6, 2014 at Isolo where police vehicle nearly caused ghastly accident investigation have shown that most police drivers in the country are so impatient while they are on the road, especially when they are chasing their prey to extort. The police drivers overtake vehicles at dangerous bends as long as they are concerned. Most of the cases are minor offences but because they want to collect a bribe they go against traffic rules. The reckless police drivers sometimes end in tragic loss of innocent souls. Road users have called for persistent enlightenment by the Federal Road Safety Commission for Nigeria police drivers to see how little difference it could do to stop reckless driving of the Nigerian police on the highways and other road network.
According to our checks, most of the police drivers work under the influence of alcohol and other stimulants. It is very common to see drivers belonging to the Nigeria police converging in groups very early in the morning at major motor parks drinking local gin and inhaling marijuana and other stimulants before hitting the road to duty.
According to a police officer who pleaded anonymity, the drivers erroneously believe that those substances could make them become more alert while on the road. But it has been proved that it has caused more ghastly accidents. Negative influence of these illegal substances has led to fatal accidents on major highways in Nigeria.
Before now, police road blocks used to be a killer-spot but with the ban on road blocks, the killing has reduced. Last year, an illegal road block mounted by the Nigerian police in Asaba, Delta State caused the tragic death of seven persons as a result of the multiple accidents which would have been avoided, if the police had cleared the road of log of woods and other objects which had been mounted to prevent motorist from moving freely. Their aim of mounting these road blocks is purely for the purpose of collecting bribes from commercial drivers while causing deaths.
On Monday, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) decried the chaotic traffic situation created on most roads by the vehicles escorting politicians and money-bags, including those on extortion activities.
The FRSC Unit Commander in Onitsha, Mr Anthony Metta, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha, Anambra.
Metta noted that the attitude the police in such convoys posed the greatest challenge to the work of the commission in Onitsha and its environs.
“Yes, we have challenges, and I would tell you one of the biggest challenges is at times politicians and money-bags; they come in convoys, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 vehicles. You see, the operatives from our sister agency, the police will bring out their guns pointing it at you, chasing you off the way. And the traffic that we had been controlling, they would spoil everything”, Metta queried.
“But we are not complaining, only that the society and the press should see this and speak out. People should know about it. All those people on the road, who are waiting patiently, following rules and regulations, are they not human beings. Why are the police in convoys of politicians and money bags more important than other Nigerians”?
“So, that is our observation, it is a very serious challenge.
At times, they flog you, threaten you with their gun and at times start pushing you with their vehicles.
“But you cannot help it, we are not armed. But you must achieve your objective,’’ he said.
He explained that FRSC officers and men were even threatened by the police escorts that cut corners in the traffic without considering any traffic orderliness and other road users. Metta said, “We are seeing gradual change for the better from motorists. Last year, by this time; there was confusion towards this bridge as vehicles filled every space close to the bridge. But today, we only have two lanes about three kilometres to the bridge”.
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