Angry mob burns BRT bus over motorcyclist’s death

The tensions flared up at the Ogolonto Bus Stop located on Ikorodu Road, Lagos State, yesterday as a furious mob burnt down a BRT bus after a fatal incident that involved the death of a motorcyclist.

The mob assaulted the driver of the bus while the intervention of the police and Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corp personnel prevented further harm to the driver.

The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Amodu Shakiru, confirmed the incident on Saturday.

He said the fire service received a distress call at about 10:21 a.m. and that personnel arrived at the scene to find the BRT bus engulfed in flames.

“The information got to us at about 10:21 hrs, and on arrival at the scene, we met the BRT bus at Ogolonto Bus Stop, along Ikorodu Road, and we were able to douse the fire on the bus.

“It was reported that some aggrieved persons set the bus on fire because of an accident the BRT bus was involved in. The driver was beaten, but he is still alive. He was rescued by security operatives and has received medical attention,” he said.

Shakiru added that he could not provide further details about the accident.

A video seen by Saturday by our correspondent showed the BRT bus engulfed in flames as firefighters battled to put out the fire.

An X user, @kinglammyjames, who shared details of the incident, wrote, “Live at OGOLONTO. A bike man was crushed to death by the BRT bus, and in turn, the street boys burned down the BRT bus.”

Another X user, @AkinlabiOlabod1, also reported that a BRT bus was set ablaze by residents in the Ogolonto area.

He wrote, “A BRT set ablaze by Ogolonto boys along Ikorodu Road. The okada rider is rumoured to be a prominent member of the Eiye confraternity in the area, reportedly their number 1.”

The claim about the identity of the deceased, however, could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The circumstances surrounding the crash, including the identity of the deceased motorcyclist, were also yet to be officially confirmed.

The burning of the bus coincided with another road crash reported in the Ogolonto area.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, in a post on X, said a sixty-tyre mini truck loaded with perishable goods had earlier crashed into two Toyota Coaster buses at Ogolonto, inward Agric, at about 4:53 p.m.

LASTMA said the crash was reportedly caused by brake failure and that no casualties were recorded.

The agency added that the vehicles had been moved to one side of the road while its officials worked to resolve the incident and manage traffic flow in the area.