Metro
Train, Bus Collide in Lagos, Two Feared Killed, Many Injured
Two women, on Thursday morning, were confirmed killed and several others injured when a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) blue line collided with a train in Lagos.
The accident occurred around 7am at the PWD railway crossing near Ikeja GRA.
Reports say the bus, which was navigating inward Ikeja, attempted to cross the railway before the train coming from Abeokuta got closer but it was trapped by the train’s magnets.
Most occupants of the bus were said to be civil servants going to work.
The accident caused panic among commuters as people paused their journey to offer assistance.
Lagos State Police Publiec Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that there was an accident involving a train and a BRT bus.
He did not give details of the casualty figure, saying that their traffic officers are making efforts to establish what really transpired.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also confirmed the accident, adding that all occupants have been evacuated and efforts on to remove the wreckage of the bus from the rail line.
NEMA’s Lagos Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, said that two female employees of the State Government died in the accident.
“Two adult female staff of the State Government dead and several injured evacuated. The State Government staff bus was trying to cross the PWD/Sogunle rail crossing while the train coming into Lagos from Abeokuta trapped the bus on its rail.
“Two Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) flag officers reportedly tried to stop the driver of the bus from crossing but it was said that the driver ignored the directive and drove into the rail.
“The operations are ongoing; search and Rescue concluded. Removal of the carcass of the bus is ongoing,” Farinloye said.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has inspected seven Modified Light Tactical Vehicles procured for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to enhance and strengthen their operations in securing life and property in the country, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
Gaidam performed the function in company of the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Anuma Ogbonaya Nlia, and top Management of the Ministry at the Federal Secretariat, Phase III, in Abuja.
The Minister stated that the seven Modified Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles were acquired from the budgetary allocation of the Ministry, and they would be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to enhance their security operations to enable them to perform better. “They are supposed to use it professionally to combat insecurity in the country,” he stressed.
A stray bullet has allegedly killed a student who was heading to the examination centre to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination being organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident happened on Gbagi market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer in pursuit of a suspect hit and allegedly killed the student on Tuesday.
Investigations revealed that the boy was on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother when the incident struck.
The student, according to multiple eyewitnesses, was on his way to the examination centre.
One of the sources, simply identified as Ajani, said, “A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle. One of the bullets reportedly hit the student. The student was riding on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother.
“The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Another witness said, “The deceased was on his way to the examination centre alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened.”
Meanwhile, irate youths took the student’s lifeless body to the state Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, to demand justice and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.
The deceased body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital morgue.
As of press time, authorities have not released an official statement on the incident.
The Punch
The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU)and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have condemned the recent distribution formula for the N50 billion earned allowance approved by the Federal government for university-based unions.
The unions expressed their displeasure in the sharing formula in a jointly signed statement by the President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi on Sunday in Abuja.
The Federal government last month approved the release of N50billion to universities as earned allowances.
The N50billion is to be shared between the Academic Staff Union of Universities; NASU, SSANU and National Association of Academic Technologists.
The statement said: “We wish to make it clear that this is not a contest of supremacy among unions. Rather, it is about fairness, recognition, and the equitable treatment of all workers who form the backbone of the Nigerian University system.”
The unions further demanded a review and reversal of the allocation formula, which they describe as “grossly unfair” and “totally unacceptable.”
The unions argued that the distribution was capable of creating industrial disharmony and accentuating the teaching/non-teaching dichotomy in Nigerian universities.
They vowed to stand united in demanding justice, fairness, and recognition of their rightful place in the university community.
They warned that going ahead with the unfair distribution will breed resentment and trigger widespread industrial disharmony.
“Non-Teaching staff of Nigerian Universities are not second-class citizens but are critical stakeholders who contribute immensely to the day-to-day functionality, administrative efficiency, research excellence, technical operations, and overall development of the Nigerian Universities system.
“A harmonious and productive academic environment can only be achieved when all stakeholders are treated with respect, dignity, equity, and fairness,” the statement added.
