BY Ayodele Oluwafemi
A Lagos state high court sitting in Ikeja has remanded Osibanjo Oluwaseun, the driver of the BRT bus that collided with a train.
On Tuesday, the Lagos government arraigned Oluwaseun on a 16-count charge bordering on involuntary manslaughter and grievous harm.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
BACKGROUND
On March 9, a train collided with a Lagos state staff bus conveying workers in the Shogunle area of Oshodi, Lagos.
Witnesses at the scene said the bus was attempting to cross the rail track when an oncoming train rammed into it and dragged the bus from Shogunle to the PWD area of Ikeja.
Two passengers died at the scene while four others were declared dead at the different hospitals.
Reacting to the accident, Fidet Okhiria, managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), said the driver is to be blamed for the accident.
However, the BRT driver said the vehicle had a mechanical fault while asking for forgiveness from the families of the victims
THE COURT CASE
During the trial on Tuesday, Babajide Martins, director of public prosecution, said the driver ignored warning signals.
Martins said the driver “negligently killed” Oreoluwa Aina, Tolulope Emmanuel, Olayinka Rokosu, and Ganiyat Salaudeen due to the collision with the train.
The prosecution counsel said the action of the driver inflicted bodily injuries on some passengers of the train.
He asked the court to remand the defendant to a correctional facility and prayed for a new date for trial.
The counsel added that the alleged offences committed by the BRT driver contravened the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
However, Lekan Egberongbe, the defence counsel, appealed to the court to remand the defendant in police custody due to health reasons.
“The defendant was brought from the Federal Medical Centre Ebute-metta this morning, my lord. I plead with the court while we await the trial date to allow him be remanded with the police,” counsel said.
In her ruling, Oyindamola Ogala, the trial judge, said the court did not have the medical report of the defendant, adding that it should be presented to prison officials.
“If the custodial centre is served with the necessary medical report of the defendant, he should be given proper medical attention,” the judge said.
The case was adjourned to May 26 for the commencement of trial.
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