The driver of the government staff bus that collided with a moving train in the Shogunle, Ikeja area of Lagos on Thursday, Oluwaseun Osinbajo, has been arrested and will be prosecuted soon, according to the Lagos Police.
The ill-fated bus, with the Lagos registration number 04A- 48LA, number 33, was traveling from Isolo to Alausa, Ikeja, when it collided with an oncoming train while beating other motorists at the PWD rail crossing, Shogunle. It was carrying a number of passengers, the majority of whom were civil servants and their dependents.
Commissioner for Police, CP, Lagos State Railway Command, CP, Yetunde Longe, when contacted on Friday, said; “After investigations and taking of the necessary details, the driver whose name is Oluwaseun Osinbajo, will be arraigned in court and first he will be transferred to the Director Public Prosecutions, because of the fact that he is a Lagos State staff.”
Longe, said the driver had been arrested after undergoing psychiatric, and drug tests.
The said driver, who was among those rushed to LASUTH, was said to have been ushered into another unit in the hospital for psychiatric, physiological and drug tests.
She added: “We are investigating the number of people that died in the crash.
“An autopsy will be conducted on the remains of the victims on Friday.
“Presently, we are with the driver, we are handing him over to doctors for medical examinations because there was a flag officer at the railway crossing, flagging him down, but he refused to stop.
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This is why we must subject him to a medical examination. As a driver, this is one of the tests you have to take note of because when you get to a level crossing, the train will be honking for people to know that a train is coming. Drivers should ensure they are patient for the train pass.”
When asked why there was no barrier at the level crossing, Longe stated: “Unfortunately, for now, we don’t have such a thing there anymore. But there was a signalman who was at the crossing in the morning when the crash occurred. The driver of the bus never obeyed the signalman. That was what caused the crash.
“The driver, if found culpable, will be prosecuted and we are working with the state Department of Public Prosecution. They are gathering more evidence to prosecute him. The driver is in our custody presently.”