A Bus Rapid Transit popularly known as a BRT vehicle, has fatally struck a yet-to-be-identified soldier near the Sam Ethan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos State.
An eyewitness, Jamiu Idris, told this reporter that the incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
The BRT driver, whose identity was unknown at the time of filing this report, was said to be speeding when the vehicle struck the soldier, who was travelling on a motorcycle and on the same lane.
“The soldier was riding a motorcycle when the bus struck the motorcycle he was travelling on from behind. Residents and passersby intervened to prevent the driver from fleeing while others attempted to burn the BRT,” Idris said.
A passenger on the BRT, who chose to remain anonymous, recounted the harrowing experience, saying angry youths attempted to set the bus ablaze.
“They nearly set our bus on fire. It was terrifying. I lost my scarf and notebook in the chaos. I had to run to the other side of the road,” the source said.
When contacted on Friday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Taofeek Adebayo, said he would look into the incident and provide an update.
“I’ll confirm and get back to you,” Adebayo simply said.
He was yet to provide details as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesperson for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Kolawole Ojelabi, could not be reached as his line was not connecting.
Meanwhile, a video from the scene obtained by our reporter showed a couple of soldiers standing inside the BRT bus at the back door as the bus moved away.
The soldiers were suspected to have arrived at the scene after the incident to impound the vehicle.
