Tag: LASTMA official

The Bakare family, whose son Olatunji Surajudeen, a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Zonal Head, was lynched last week, has suffered another loss.

The late Bakare’s aunt, Mrs Balogun, popularly called Iya Ibeji, The Nation learnt yesterday, died on hearing about his nephew’s death.

Bakare, 45, was lynched on Point Road on Apapa, by a mob allegedly protesting the killing of a motorboy by a LASTMA Van.

But Lagos State Government denied the claim, saying the boy who was sleeping under a truck, was killed by his driver in his bid to evade arrest.

At the 8th-day Islamic prayers for the late Bakare in his father’s Ogba, Ikeja home, yesterday, his younger sister, Mrs Medinat Akintayo, explained that: “Iya Ibeji was in her house in Ogba last Thursday when she heard of Bakare’s death from some passengers inside a tricycle.

“Iya Ibeji was confused; she did not believe the passengers were talking about her sister’s son. She came to my mother’s house to confirm the incident. On getting here and realised that Bakare was dead, she collapsed and died instantly.  Both of them were buried last Friday.”

She described the late Bakare and the late Mrs Balogun as their families’ breadwinners.

“You can imagine what my mother will be feeling right now to have lost a son and a sister same day,” Mrs Akintayo said.

Describing his brother’s death as terrible, she said: “Bakare’s eyes were removed, he was stabbed from one side of the head to the other; his lips down to his head were sliced; his uniform was black; he was stabbed everywhere on his body. His back was white like they threw fire on him; his face was nothing to write home about, it was not him again. We were only able to identify him with his uniform on him and the name written on it. His hands and legs were broken, even if he didn’t die, he would not be useful to either himself or his family any longer, and he would be a great liability to us.

“Bakare did everything to make the family comfortable. He usually went to market to buy pampers, food, fish, and tomatoes for the household. He was such a father that was so caring for his children, he cooked for his family; he was kind, very friendly and rarely got angry.

“The day he died, he called my mother to pray for him, after he told his immediate family to pray for him, he also called his father to pray for him that he was going for an operation in Apapa.”

Family members and well-wishers could not control their emotion. Tears flowed freely.

Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria Ojodu Branch Missioner Alhaji Raji Muhy-Deen Opeyemi, in a lecture, said those that killed Bakare must suffer, adding: “They will be thrown into fire, they will move from one problem to another. God’s anger is already on them and suffering awaits them.”

He said Bakare’s killers did not allow him to reach the peak of his career, nor did he achieve all he wanted for himself, wife, children, parents and other family members.

Bakare, he said, was killed in a callous way, noting: “In this land that we say we have security, a man left his family, wife and children to serve the state and was killed. All those that were meant to work with him ran for their own lives and left him alone. If one will die, it should not be like that.

 “They threw him in the gutter, pelted him with stones so that even if he did not survive, he will not be useful to himself again.”

LASTMA Chief Executive Officer Chris Olakpe described the late Bakare as zealous, humble, dedicated, hardworking, purposeful, intelligent, articulate and committed.

He said Bakare had no bad record, adding that he was loved by all.

“He never refused any kind of posting, he was honest, and he is my hero and the love of my heart,” he said.

Olakpe said efforts were on to get the killers, stating:  “We have reported to the police to investigate and get to the root of the matter in order to bring out the culprits and this is ongoing.”

On the claim that there were no security agencies around when Bakare was being attacked, he said: “We are looking into that because from our own end, when they go for operation, we expect them to be able to protect themselves but we are looking into that and we will take it up with the authorities that are involved.”

“The agency,” Olakpe added, “has life assurance policy, compensation policy for all staff and we have the heroes grant for officers who lose their life in circumstances like this

 “We on our own are introducing an annual symposium for him in his honour, and some other things will follow. We are also looking at scholarship for the children. The  government and LASTMA will support the family,” he said.

The late Bakare joined the civil service on August 20, 2001 as a Programme Analyst II (Traffic Officer). He served in various capacities and rose to the position of Zebra (Zonal Head), a management position.

An Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Danlandi Umar, attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos yesterday was accused of beating a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official, Rasheed Akande, to stupor.

The Nation learnt that the driver of a commercial bus marked AKD 639 XS, with a fleet number 09/729, refused to obey the LASTMA officials’ hand signal to stop at Igboefon Roundabout.

The driver was later stopped by some LASTMA men at Chisco Bus Stop, who got a signal from their colleagues at Igboefon.

As the LASTMA men were said to be briefing the driver on the offence he committed, a passenger in mufti, who was later identified as ASP Umar, came down. He was said to have ordered the traffic officers to release the driver or be dealt with.

LASTMA officials said ASP Umar told them that no law enforcement officer can apprehend a bus he is a passenger anywhere.

LASTMA Public Relations Officer Mahmud Hassan said: “All persuasion for him to disclose his identity fell on deaf ears. This was the situation when some policemen that arrived at the scene advised that the matter be taken to Ilasan Police Station. It was at the police station that he introduced himself and descended on Akande. He beat him to a state of stupor and handcuffed him. Even when the victim was grappling for breath, he continued to rain avalanche of blows, cursing and threatening other people around. To show how serious he was, he released tear gas as warning to anybody who wanted to intervene on Akande’s behalf.”

Hassan told The Nation that Akande was responding to treatment in the hospital.

“The action of the police officer was frowned at by LASTMA, as it did not represent what the command stands for because LASTMA always has a robust relationship with the police and other security agencies and has mechanism of looking and dealing with issues on mutual respect and cooperation to the satisfaction of all parties,” he said.