A pregnant woman, Zainab Bakare, is receiving medical treatment after officers attached to the Nigeria Police Force, Ajeromi Division, allegedly rammed into the motorcycle conveying her during a raid on commercial motorcyclists along Layinka Street in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday,
February 18.
According
to residents, the officers had positioned their patrol vehicle at a junction in
the community, reportedly lying in wait to apprehend commercial motorcyclists
plying the route.
During
the operation, a motorcycle carrying Bakare approached the junction. In the
process, the police minibus allegedly knocked down the motorcycle, causing both
the rider and the passenger to fall.
A
resident, Moshood Oshunfurewa, who witnessed the incident, said the police
vehicle struck the motorcycle from a short distance.
“The
incident happened at Layinka Street, by KD Bread, close to Arumoh Street. We
were under the LED streetlight at the junction when we saw the officers hit the
motorcycle from a short distance. The pregnant woman fell and started crying in
pain. We rushed to help her, while the officers allegedly took the motorcycle
to the police station,” he said.
Speaking
on the incident, Bakare said she was returning from a hospital where her sister
was in labour when the incident occurred.
“I was
coming from the hospital where my sister was in labour. When we got to the
T-junction, the motorcycle rider slowed down. Suddenly, a minibus hit us and we
were knocked to the ground,” she recounted.
Bakare
said she sustained injuries to her arm and leg and was thrown into severe
distress over the safety of her pregnancy.
“The
police did not show concern when it happened. They were about to take the
motorcycle away when residents challenged them because of my condition. That
was when they came back,” she alleged.
In a
video now going viral, Bakare was seen crying and writhing in pain from the
injuries she sustained during the incident.
Another
resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it took more than three
hours to stabilise the pregnant woman, adding that the conduct of some officers
had become a source of concern in the community.
He
also noted that Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area is not among the local
governments covered by the Lagos State Transport Law restricting commercial
motorcycle operations in 10 local government areas and 15 local council
development areas.
“While
residents support the state’s restrictions, enforcement should not come at the
cost of endangering lives,” he said.
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