The police in Lagos have arrested a 56-year-old driver, Gabriel Eze after he allegedly crushed one of his passengers to death.
Eze was arrested on Monday after reporting the incident to Ogudu Police Station. He was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti, Yaba.
Eze was alleged to have pushed the passenger off the Abuja-bound coaster bus before crushing him to death.
Also arrested was the driver’s motorboy Okwudili Odo, who it was gathered, sustained injuries during the accident.
Trouble was said to have started at about 11pm at the Bonny Way Transport Office in Jibowu where two passengers had scuffle over sitting positions.
It was gathered that while a passenger with valid ticket came to sit on the chair allocated to him, the deceased was already occupying same, claiming it was his seat.
The argument however, lingered till the bus got to Ojota prompting the driver to pull off the road in order to settle the parties.
All effort to get the deceased to vacate the seat for the other passenger failed, and the driver alongside his motorboy allegedly pushed the man off the bus before crushing him.
But Eze said he never touched the man nor was he close to him.
He said: “On Monday night, I loaded from Jibowu to Abuja. On the way after Fadeyi, I heard some of the passengers quarreling. One of them was calling on the conductor to come and show him where he would sit down.
“When the conductor got there, he discovered the person that sat down had no ticket where the seating positions are indicated, while the man standing had. When the passenger that was sitting down was asked to stand up, he refused.
“When the argument became unbearable, I parked at Ojota to intervene, only for some hoodlums with dangerous weapons surrounded our vehicle. Three of them forced the door open, came inside and forcefully collected a bag which contained my driver’s license and other documents.
“They even threatened to set the bus ablaze for daring to park at their territory. Out of fear of being injured or killed, I moved the vehicle. That made the hoodlums to jump down.
“The passenger without ticket also jumped down, holding unto the conductor. I didn’t know when I mistakenly rammed over the passenger. My intention was to move the bus forward, stop and come back for the conductor.
