Man jumps over Obalende Bridge, dies on sighting taskforce officials

•KAI officials sealing up shops on Awolowo Way, Ikeja this morning. PHOTO… YUSUFMUHAMMED

FILE PHOTO: KAI officials sealing up shops on Awolowo Way, Ikeja this morning. PHOTO: YUSUF MUHAMMED

Paul Iyoghojie

FILE PHOTO: KAI officials sealing up shops on Awolowo Way, Ikeja this morning. PHOTO: YUSUFMUHAMMED
FILE PHOTO: KAI officials sealing up shops on Awolowo Way, Ikeja this morning. PHOTO: YUSUFMUHAMMED

An unidentified Hausa Youth jumped over the Obalende Bridge, Lagos, western Nigeria on Thursday at about 6:30pm and died instantly, on sighting operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, thinking that they were after him.

Eye witnesses account revealed that the Taskforce Officials stormed Obalende to enforce the law on Environmental Sanitation when the incident occurred.

A trader who identified himself simply as John told P.M.NEWS that the deceased from Adamawa State, North East Nigeria, was watching the Taskforce Officials from atop the bridge as they were dislodging street traders and illegal motorcycle operators under the bridge beside the Oando Filling Station when he suddenly sighted another Taskforce Officials’ patrol van in the opposite direction.

The trader said, thinking that the Taskforce Officials would arrest him, the deceased in a bid to escape jumped over the bridge and landed on top of the iron beautification barriers under the bridge.

He sustained serious injuries on his head and other parts of his body and died instantly.

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The trader stated that immediately the incident occurred a mob attacked the Taskforce officials, vandalized their vehicle and pursued them towards the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

The witness said the Taskforce Officials were able to escape the irate mobs by shooting in the air to scare them away.

Another witness who identified himself as Tunde told P.M.NEWS that the timely arrival of the Area Commander from Campbell Street, Lagos Island, ACP S.D. Dogo and the Ikoyi-Obalende Branch Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Comrade Femi Onasanya, a.k.a. Obele saved the situation from degenerating to total chaos.

They were said to have calmed the nerves of the irate mob.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the corpse of the youth has been deposited in a mortuary at the Lagos State General Hospital, Lagos Island.

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