Passengers in
the four vehicles were asked to alight, as officials of the traffic agency took
over the wheels of the impounded vehicles. There was however drama when the old
man who drove the fifth bus suddenly went inside his bus and brought out a
bowl.
The LASTMA
officers, policemen and commuters ran for cover. But one of the officials came
back and stood his ground, wielding a baton and insisting that the man must
follow them.
When it became
obvious that the odour strategy had failed, the driver began pulling off his
clothes, prostrating by the front tyres of the vehicle and rolling on the
floor.
A crowd formed
around the area, with some of the bystanders capturing the scene with their
camera phones. One of the officials was heard telling his colleagues to “leave him
alone and let him go.” However, they took close shots of the vehicle number
plate, and the driver, before taking other seized vehicles away.
Our
correspondent spoke with a resident who said he knew the old man well.
He said, “That
is how the man usually does. His bus plies Lagos Island everyday and he picks
his passengers from that spot.” The source, who did not identify himself, added
that it was the second time the man would put up the show.
He said the bus
was owned by a military officer. When our correspondent approached the old man
for comment, he refused to talk.
When he was,
however, confronted with the allegation of being a serial offender, he said,
“Look, whoever wants to talk should talk. Everybody has his problems and I have
mine.” He drove the vehicle into a filling station.
Attempts to
speak with LASTMA proved abortive. An officer who spoke with our correspondent
on the telephone said he was not disposed to comment and referred him to
another senior officer, who equally declined comment.
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