Eye witness said that the old man, Isiaka Ishola, lost conscious ness after the Police Task Force, on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, allegedly used the stun gun on him, while attempting to arrest him. Ishola, with his bus loaded with passengers, rammed into a gutter after the gun was used on him.
Another eyewitness said the incident occurred around 10:20am, while the Task Force officials were raiding bus drivers, allegedly causing obstruction along the Ojodu Berger Road. Ishola was driving out of the motor park, when the Task Force Officials, accused him of causing traffic jam. In an attempt to compel him to stop and get out of the vehicle, one of the policemen pursued and used the stun gun on him. Ishola was alleged to have fainted on the wheel, lost control of his bus and rammed into a nearby gutter.
The policemen dragged his unconscious body out of the bus seat and put him inside their Black Maria. A senior policeman, however, came to the scene and ordered the policemen to immediately release the bus driver.
The policemen placed Ishola by the roadside. Other bus drivers ran to buy bags of sachet water and milk. Sachets of water were poured him and the milk was forced into his mouth. He soon regained consciousness. Speaking with our correspondent, Ishola said he was surprised when the policemen flagged him down, accusing him of causing traffic jam.
He said that before he knew what was happening, they used the stun gun on him. Ishola said: “After I loaded my passengers from the motor park and heading to Agege, I saw the Task Force officials. They had earlier arrested a commercial bus driver right in front of me.
One of them came and accused me of causing traffic. They brought out the stun gun and used it on me. Immediately, I fainted. I didn’t know when some of my colleagues from the park came and rescued me.
They poured sachets of water on me. They also gave me milk in order to revive me. As I speak with you now, I’m still not okay. I sustained injuries on my body when they dragged me on the ground.”
Ishola further said: “While in the gutter with the passengers, the Task Force officials struggled to take possession of the steering of my bus. They eventually impounded the vehicle and chased the passengers out. I also lost about N8, 000 in my pocket.” Mrs. Baliqis Adeyemi, said she was walking past, when she saw Ishola unconscious on the ground. She looked closer at the figure and realised she knew him. She picked his phone and promptly called his family.
Adeyemi said: “I was going to my shop when I saw the man on the ground. I realised it was somebody I know. He lives in the street where I have a shop. The man is a nice person; that was why I called his family.
I wanted them to come and rescue him.” Mr. Kunle Solaja, one of the passengers in the bus, described the action of the policemen as uncivilised. His words: “What happened took every one of us in the bus by surprise. I mean, the offence the Task Force officials accused him of, was not enough to kill him. I expected the Task Force policemen to leave the driver immediately he because unconscious, but they still dragged him into their waiting Black Maria.
It was one of the team leaders who ordered the junior policemen to release him to his union members.” Some of the bus drivers, embarked on a protest. They protested over the manner Task Force policemen used to manhandle commercials bus drivers in Lagos.
One of the bus drivers, simply identified as Moshood, said: “Injustice to one is injustice to all! We are tired of their actions. Before Ishola’s incident, one of us was arrested by the Task Force. The policemen collected N10, 000 from him before his bus was released.
They did not only manhandle Ishola, they also collected his phone and money.” The Public Affairs Officer of the Task Force, Mr. Adebayo Taofik, said: “Yes, Task Force officials were in the area to clear the traffic on that axis.
They impounded buses of erring drivers. The drivers were causing road obstruction. The commercial bus drivers on that axis are fond of causing traffic jam.
The Task Force officials were there to clear the traffic. When the drivers saw our men coming, they attempted to run. It was in the process that the so called driver fell into the gutter. The driver didn’t faint. He was in our office, at Alausa today, (Tuesday) to collect his seized vehicle.”https://newtelegraphonline.com/63-year-old-driver-shot-stun-gun-police/
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