An unidentified Hausa Youth jumped over the Obalende Bridge, Lagos,
western Nigeria on Thursday at about 6:30pm and died instantly, on
sighting operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental
Sanitation and Special Offences, thinking that they were after him.
Eye
witnesses account revealed that the Taskforce Officials stormed
Obalende to enforce the law on Environmental Sanitation when the
incident occurred.
A trader who identified himself simply as John
told P.M.NEWS that the deceased from Adamawa State, North East Nigeria,
was watching the Taskforce Officials from atop the bridge as they were
dislodging street traders and illegal motorcycle operators under the
bridge beside the Oando Filling Station when he suddenly sighted another
Taskforce Officials’ patrol van in the opposite direction.
The
trader said, thinking that the Taskforce Officials would arrest him, the
deceased in a bid to escape jumped over the bridge and landed on top of
the iron beautification barriers under the bridge.
He sustained serious injuries on his head and other parts of his body and died instantly.
The
trader stated that immediately the incident occurred a mob attacked the
Taskforce officials, vandalized their vehicle and pursued them towards
the 3rd Mainland Bridge.
The witness said the Taskforce Officials were able to escape the irate mobs by shooting in the air to scare them away.
Another
witness who identified himself as Tunde told P.M.NEWS that the timely
arrival of the Area Commander from Campbell Street, Lagos Island, ACP
S.D. Dogo and the Ikoyi-Obalende Branch Chairman of the National Union
of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Comrade Femi Onasanya, a.k.a. Obele
saved the situation from degenerating to total chaos.
They were said to have calmed the nerves of the irate mob.
P.M.NEWS
gathered that the corpse of the youth has been deposited in a mortuary
at the Lagos State General Hospital, Lagos Island.