10th March, 2023
By Nehru Odeh
While Nigerians are still trylng to come to terms with the accident involving a moving train and a Lagos State government staff bus at Shogunle area of Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday 9 February, 2023, it has been revealed that the driver of the bus is to blame for the accident. No fewer than seven people have been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries.
One of the survivors Titilayo, a staff of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH who sustained injuries on her lower limbs, revealed that the passengers in the bus begged the driver to wait for the train to pass, but he refused.
“I boarded the staff bus while going to work this morning (yesterday).
“The incident happened around 7.15am. When we got to the intersection at PWD in Ikeja, the driver continued driving.
“Passengers inside the bus, including myself, begged him to wait for the train to pass before crossing, but he didn’t listen.
“Midway, just before he could finish crossing the rail tracks, the accident happened. Many of us were rushed here, while five others were taken to Gbagada General Hospital.”
According to the Vanguard, one Musa Hayatou, a resident of Shogunle, who witnessed the accident recounted his experience, while also blaming the driver: “From what I saw, so far, two people died on the spot.
“Many of them were rescued from the ill fated bus, but some of them were critically injured and it will take the grace of God for them to survive. Some victims who suffered broken bones were rushed to the hospital.
“I don’t know if more people have passed on. Another victim was hit by a large stone. I don’t know whether he was still living or not before he was eventually taken away by officials of Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA.
“I think the fault is from the driver, because before a train gets to a level crossing, it begins to horn from a kilometre away and, if you are a good driver, you should be aware of the loud horn alerting people.
“This is the first time an accident involving a train and a BRT bus happened here. However, we usually have accident involving BRT buses with other vehicles at the bus stop.”
Vanguard learned that the train ran into the staff bus, which was conveying 85 workers of the state government to work, as it tried to cross the rail line at PWD bus stop, and dragged it to Shogunle, where it finally halted and victims were rescued.
The Lagos State Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Babatunde, Farinloye who visited the scene of the accident, said the driver is to blame. “The keepers of Nigerian Railway Corporation at that level crossing tried to stop the driver from passing because of the incoming train, but he refused.
“I guess he thought he could pass before the train caught up with him. Unfortunately, the reverse was the case.”
The South West Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye also confirmed the accident. He said the State Government staff bus was trying to cross the PWD/Sogunle rail crossing while the train coming into Lagos from Abeokuta trapped the bus on its rail.
Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, hinged the immediate cause of the accident on reckless driving on the part of the BRT bus driver.
“Investigation gathered revealed that the immediate cause of the incident was due to reckless driving on the part of the BRT bus driver while trying to beat the train traffic signal before the moving train rammed into the BRT bus.
Meanwhile, Babatunde Farinloye, has advised the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, to install iron bars at railway level crossings, to prevent trains from running into vehicles. He added that there used to be iron bars at railway crossings that were dropped when a train was in motion thereby preventing vehicles and pedestrians from using the crossing.
The Sector Commander also said: “There is ususally advanced warning at the crossings(horning) signalling that a train was passing but we no longer see such things these days.”
He blamed the disappearance of these facilities on the activities of vandal, stressing that Nigeria Railway must install bars at rail crossings as well as ensure that advanced warnings are given when a train is passing to avoid future occurrences.