Bus Rams Into BRT At Agric Terminal While Allegedly Evading Levy Collectors

An 18-passenger bus on Wednesday morning crashed into a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle at the Agric Bus Stop Terminal in Lagos State while allegedly attempting to evade roadside levy collectors.

The incident occurred as the white bus, which was reportedly travelling from Epe to Mile 12 International Market with three people and a load of cucumbers, approached the terminal.

According to a witness, Lekan Ajayi, a conductor popularly known as Shadow Nation, the bus driver attempted to avoid collectors allegedly associated with the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), who were trying to stop the vehicle.

Ajayi said the driver, while attempting to evade the collectors, who allegedly used planks to stop the vehicle, tried to overtake another vehicle but lost control after swerving to the right.

The bus subsequently jumped over the walkway and crashed into the terminal, where passengers were waiting to board buses.

Ajayi said he and other bystanders rushed to the scene to rescue the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, the owner of the goods being transported and his assistant.

He said the driver sustained a serious head injury, while the owner of the goods suffered a deep cut to his palm and the motorboy sustained an injury to his right leg after a metal object reportedly pierced it.

Ajayi expressed concern that the incident could have resulted in more casualties if it had occurred later in the day when more roadside traders and passengers would have been present around the terminal.

Meanwhile, officials of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) reportedly prevented members of the public from taking photographs at the scene.

One of the officials explained that the restriction was intended to prevent unverified casualty figures and inaccurate accounts of the incident from circulating.

The victims were subsequently taken to a hospital for medical treatment, while the goods in the damaged vehicle were evacuated from the scene.

A towing vehicle was also deployed to remove the wrecked bus from the terminal.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged involvement of levy collectors in the incident could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.