Oluwaseun Osibanjo, the driver of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle that crashed into a moving train at Ikeja Along, Shogunle area of Lagos State, has been arraigned.
Osibanjo was conveying some staff members of the Lagos State Government to work on March 9 and wanted to cross the rail line, when he rammed the bus into the moving train.
At least six persons died from the accident while many others sustained varying degrees of injury.
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The Director of Public Prosecutions, Babajide Martins, told the court that the BRT driver negligently killed the victims by ignoring warning signals and ran into an oncoming train.
He said the defendant also negligently inflicted grievous harm on 10 other passengers on the bus.
However, an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday remanded Osibanjo for allegedly running into a moving train, causing grievous harm and involuntary manslaughter to the passengers.
Justice Oyindamola Ogala arraigned him on 16 counts bordering on involuntary manslaughter and grievous harm preferred against him by the state government.
The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution, Dr. Babajide Martins, had prayed the court for a trial date as well as for the defendant to be remanded in a correctional facility.
Martins told the court that the defendant committed the offences on March 9 at about 7:00am at the Shogunle Level Crossing, Ikeja.
He submitted that the defendant ignored warning signals and ran into an oncoming train and negligently killed one Oreoluwa Aina, as well as Tolulope Emmanuel, Olayinka Rokosu, Ganiyat Salaudeen, Lasisi Isah and Victoria Dada.
The prosecution also alleged that the defendant inflicted grievous harm on Bolanle Ogunbunmi, Ayomide Shobowale, Sarah Adeleye, Abiola Olarewaju, Esther Ekundayo, Samuel Fagbola and Ismail Bakare.
Others, he said, were Ayuib Arowoye, Rilwan Abdulazeez and Shiyanbola Murtala.
According to him, the alleged offences contravened the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The defence counsel, Mr Lekan Egberongbe, however, prayed the court to remand the defendant in police custody, due to his health reasons.
“The defendant was brought from the Federal Medical Centre Ebute-metta this morning my lord. I plead with the court while we await the trial date to allow him be remanded with the police,” said Egberongbe.
The judge, however, said that the court did not have the medical report of the defendant.
“The court does not have the power to remand the defendant in police custody.
“If the custodial centre is served with the necessary medical report of the defendant, he should be given proper medical attention,” Ogala said.
The Justice ordered that Osibanjo be remanded at the appropriate custodial centre, pending the filing and hearing of his bail application.
Ogala adjourned the case until May 26 for the commencement of trial.