A police corporal, identified simply as Friday, has been accused of knocking down a teacher, Mrs. Taskirat Anjolaiya, and her baby, Ammarah, in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to eyewitness, the policeman, who is attached to FESTAC Police Division, was driving against traffic on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway when he knocked down the victims.
It was learnt that the graduate of Mathematics Education was alighting from a commercial bus with her child and had not noticed the police patrol van coming from the wrong direction.
The victim’s husband, Mr Sulaiman, said the policeman claimed he was running an errand for the Divisional Police Officer, DPO Ibrahim Zango.
The policeman was said to have told them that he was instructed by the DPO to drop off a woman at the airport in Ikeja and he drove against traffic to avoid traffic congestion on the appropriate route so that she would not miss her flight.
He said, “The accident occurred on June 23, 2013. My wife was on her way to a religious progamme when a police driver drove recklessly on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. He was driving against traffic and shouting at drivers on the right side of the road to clear out.
“He eventually knocked down my wife and baby while they were alighting from a bus.
“The policeman’s first concern at the scene of the accident was to immediately get a cab to convey the woman in his vehicle to her destination.”
According to Punch findings, the policeman rushed the victims to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, and deposited N70,000 for their treatment.
At LUTH however, doctors at the emergency ward discovered that the mother of three had sustained a pelvic fracture, facial bruises, and brain injury while the baby, Ammarah, also suffered deep facial cuts and a broken jaw.
Sulaiman lamented that since the incident, over N500,000 had been spent on treatment. He said the policeman had abandoned the victims at the hospital since depositing the N70,000.
He expressed disappointment over how the DPO handled the matter when they went to report the matter at the station. “A few days after the accident, when I could no longer bear the pressure alone, I went to see the DPO and I told him what happened. Zango lambasted me before offering us additional N10,000,” he said.
Sulaiman lamented that the N10,000 was too little, considering the fact that he is unemployed at the moment and had spent all his savings. He expressed disappointment that the police, who had been charged with the duty of protecting lives, were the ones inflicting hardship on his family.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide said: “It is really a pathetic case and no one is happy about it. You were the one that just informed us of the incident. We have started taking disciplinary action against the DPO and the corporal. We will hold a meeting on the issue on Friday.”
But she didn't say if financial support would be given to the family.
It was learnt that the graduate of Mathematics Education was alighting from a commercial bus with her child and had not noticed the police patrol van coming from the wrong direction.
The victim’s husband, Mr Sulaiman, said the policeman claimed he was running an errand for the Divisional Police Officer, DPO Ibrahim Zango.
The policeman was said to have told them that he was instructed by the DPO to drop off a woman at the airport in Ikeja and he drove against traffic to avoid traffic congestion on the appropriate route so that she would not miss her flight.
He said, “The accident occurred on June 23, 2013. My wife was on her way to a religious progamme when a police driver drove recklessly on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. He was driving against traffic and shouting at drivers on the right side of the road to clear out.
“He eventually knocked down my wife and baby while they were alighting from a bus.
“The policeman’s first concern at the scene of the accident was to immediately get a cab to convey the woman in his vehicle to her destination.”
According to Punch findings, the policeman rushed the victims to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, and deposited N70,000 for their treatment.
At LUTH however, doctors at the emergency ward discovered that the mother of three had sustained a pelvic fracture, facial bruises, and brain injury while the baby, Ammarah, also suffered deep facial cuts and a broken jaw.
Sulaiman lamented that since the incident, over N500,000 had been spent on treatment. He said the policeman had abandoned the victims at the hospital since depositing the N70,000.
He expressed disappointment over how the DPO handled the matter when they went to report the matter at the station. “A few days after the accident, when I could no longer bear the pressure alone, I went to see the DPO and I told him what happened. Zango lambasted me before offering us additional N10,000,” he said.
Sulaiman lamented that the N10,000 was too little, considering the fact that he is unemployed at the moment and had spent all his savings. He expressed disappointment that the police, who had been charged with the duty of protecting lives, were the ones inflicting hardship on his family.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide said: “It is really a pathetic case and no one is happy about it. You were the one that just informed us of the incident. We have started taking disciplinary action against the DPO and the corporal. We will hold a meeting on the issue on Friday.”
But she didn't say if financial support would be given to the family.
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