The family of a Bureau De Change operator, Modibo Usman, has been thrown into mourning after he died from shock following an encounter with two officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in Surulere area of the state.
Modibo, who was hypertensive, was being conveyed by his son, Mustapha, to the Foremost radiology consultant hospital on Ogunlana drive, Surulere, to obtain a test result for his daughter, Ummu, when he had the encounter with the officers.
Mustapha, while confirming the incident on Sunday, July 24, said his father also had an appointment with his doctor at the Living heart hospital in the Lekki area of the state on the same day.
He stated that when the two officers stopped him for disobeying traffic rules, his father pleaded that he was on his way for a medical emergency but the officers ignored him.
He alleged that the officers demanded a N50,000 bribe to release the vehicle, The Punch reports.
Mustapha said, “My father and I kept pleading with them but the officers refused.
“My father was even crying and telling them that he had a medical emergency but they said that is what people usually say.
“The two officers ordered us to go to the back seat, and they sat at the front and started driving us to Foremost radiology consultant hospital.
“My father continued crying that he was in an emergency. Afterwards, they demanded N50,000 to release us.
“By the time we got to the hospital, we quickly rushed to get the test result of my sister who’s battling with Down Syndrome to show them so we could continue our journey to see his doctor at Lekki, but the officers and the vehicle were nowhere to be found when we returned.
“Instantly, my dad suffered a shock and collapsed. I quickly alerted the nurses, and they rushed to attend to him and confirmed him dead.
“When I rushed to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) office to inform the officers that what they did had caused my father’s death, they started saying I could take the vehicle but I left it there and called our relative, Mrs. Yosi Yaduma, to inform her about what happened,” he added.
Yaduma said she reported the case at the Area C command in Surulere, adding that the two officers were arrested, and the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba.
Yaduma further noted that Modibo, who was the breadwinner of his family, was survived by two wives and 11 children.
She said, “The incident happened on Friday, July 22. Alhaji Modibo was a Bureau De Change operator who was hypertensive.
“He told the officers that he was going to a hospital, even if he had broken the rule, in cases of emergency, rules can be broken.
“He even pleaded with them that he wanted to get the results of his daughter suffering from Down Syndrome, and from there, he would be going to the Living heart hospital in Lekki to see his doctor but the officers demanded a bribe of N50,000.
“The shock of the whole incident made Alhaji Modibo suffer an attack that made him collapse at the front of the hospital. That was how he died.
“After Mustapha informed me, I told one of the nurses to assist us with an ambulance and they conveyed his corpse to the 68 Nigerian army reference hospital, Yaba, where he was also confirmed dead and his body deposited in a mortuary.
“The police, on Sunday, July 25, called to inform me that the two Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officers had been apprehended.
“Alhaji Madibo has been buried in accordance with Islamic rites but we want justice,” she added.
An official of the facility where Modibo collapsed and died, said, “His death was as a result of cardiac arrest. He was vomiting and his condition changed.
“We called a consultant to resuscitate him but all was to no avail and the patient was pronounced dead.
“A lot of people witnessed the incident. They only came to pick up a result at our diagnostic centre,” the official added.
The state police public relations officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, while confirming the incident, stated that investigation was ongoing.
The spokesperson for Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Olumide Filade, said the victim was not in an emergency at the time of the traffic light violation.
He said, “We are not aware of any case of bribery. It was not an emergency. The driver of the vehicle who happened to be Modibo’s son violated the traffic rules, and the vehicle was impounded.
“We are in possession of a video which shows how Modibo’s son violated traffic rules.”
Comments