Lagos driver flees as BRT bus hits Air Force officer

Tension gripped the residents of Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in the Ikeja area of Lagos State on Friday after a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle struck and injured an unidentified Nigerian Air Force operative, PUNCH Metro reports.

Immediately after the crash, the BRT driver reportedly fled the scene upon realising that the impact had left the Air Force officer in a critical condition.

An eyewitness, who requested anonymity due to the situation’s sensitivity, informed our correspondent on Saturday that the incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. on Friday near the Air Force Base.

At the time of filing this report, the driver’s identity remained unknown.

The fleeing driver, our correspondent learnt, was reportedly speeding when the vehicle struck the officer, who was riding a motorcycle on the same lane.

Attempts by miscreants to set the BRT bus on fire were swiftly thwarted by residents, passersby, and other military officers at the scene.

A passenger on the BRT vehicle identified only as Wale, informed PUNCH Metro on Saturday that passengers were forced to exit the bus after some angry youths attempted to set it on fire.

“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,” Wale said.

A video from the scene, obtained by PUNCH Metro on Friday, showed men in military uniform standing near the back door inside the BRT bus as it was driven away.

When reached for comment on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Taofeek Adebayo, informed our correspondent that he was unaware of the incident.

“I’ve not got any information on it. I don’t have any information on it,” Adebayo said.

But confirming the incident in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, the Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, said the victim suffered severe injuries and was being treated by medical personnel at the NAF hospital.

He said, “Information received from appropriate NAF authorities in Lagos indicates that a BRT bus hit and seriously injured the NAF personnel.

“This incident occurred yesterday (Friday) in the vicinity of the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base Ikeja. The personnel (officer) is in critical condition but receiving life-saving care at the NAF Hospital.

“The bus was removed to the Base for safety and security reasons, as the driver fled the scene immediately after the incident.”

PUNCH Metro reported a similar incident in October 2023, where three individuals on two commercial motorcycles were tragically killed in a collision with a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle in the Alakija area of the state.

The victims were travelling from Mile 2 to Okomaiko in the Ojo area of the state when their motorcycles collided head-on with the BRT vehicle.