Mr. Mayowa Olajide – driver of the Bus 240-171 owned by the Lagos Bus Service Ltd (LBSL), which was erroneously accused of carrying thugs to disrupt the EndSARS protest in Alausa – has set the record straight.
Olajide spoke during a live briefing held on Thursday by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the State House in Marina.
Stating his own side of the story, the driver said: “I took passengers from Berger Bus Stop and we were heading to Oshodi Bus Stop. On getting to Alausa under the bridge, there was a protest going on there. I had to stop moving the bus to allow the protesters leave the road, so that we could pass.
“After about three minutes, we saw another group of youths, whom we presumed to be protesters, disembarking from yellow minibuses. They were armed with machetes and axes. They moved towards the protesters who blocked the road and started attacking them.
“Upon sighting the armed youths, the passengers in my bus and I became frightened. They asked me to open the doors, so that they could flee from the scene. I opened the doors; some of them ran out, while others remained in the bus. I also abandoned the bus and ran away from the scene, because I didn’t know what was going on.
“After some minutes, normalcy returned to the scene. Some of the passengers remained in the bus when I came back. Some left. We continued our journey thereafter. Nobody was injured in the bus and the bus was not destroyed by the hoodlums.”
Meanwhile, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the police had been on the trail of the hoodlums who attacked the Alausa protesters, reiterating that the State Government would continue to identify with the demonstrators who conducted themselves peacefully.
He instructed the State police command to ensure adequate security for citizens who respect the law and orderliness.
