The driver of the Lagos State Government staff bus that recently collided with a train, Oluwaseun Osibanjo, was on Tuesday arraigned before an Ikeja High Court.
The collision, which occurred on 9th March at the PWD railway crossing in Ikeja, the state capital, left six persons dead and others injured and hospitalised across government hospitals in the state.
The bus, which had employees of the state government on board, was then dragged by the train that eventually came to a stop in the Sogunle area of the state.
Osibanjo was immediately apprehended and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution by the state.
The driver, who was arraigned before Justice Oyindamola Ogala, is facing 16 counts bordering on involuntary manslaughter and grievous harm preferred against him by the state government.
The state Director of Public Prosecution, Babajide Martins, told the court that the bus driver negligently killed the victims by ignoring warning signals and running into a moving train.
He said the defendant also negligently inflicted grievous harm on 10 other passengers on the bus.
Martins identified the six passengers killed in the collision as Aina Oreoluwa, Tolulope Emmanuel, Olayinka Mamma, Ganiyat Salaudeen, Lasisi Ibrahim, and Victoria Dada.
The injured passengers were identified as Bolanle Ogunbunmi, Ayomide Shobowale, Sarah Adeleye, Olanrewaju Abiola, and Esther Ekundayo.
Others are Samuel Fagbola, Bakare Ganiyu, Arowoye Ayuib, Rulwan Abdulaziz, and Shiyanbola Muritala.
According to him, the offences committed contravened Sections 224 and 245 and were punishable under Section 229 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the defendant’s plea, Martins asked the court for a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s counsel, Lekan Egberongbe, prayed the court to remand the driver in police custody due to his ill health.
“The defendant was brought from the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta this morning. I plead with the court, while we await the trial date, to allow him to be remanded with the police”, he said.
Justice Ogala, however, said the court did not have the medical report of the defendant.
“The court does not have the power to remand the defendant in police custody.
“If the custodial centre is served with the necessary medical report of the defendant, he should be given proper medical attention”, the judge ruled.
The prosecution, however, applied that the defendant be remanded and that if there was a need for him to get medical attention, the correctional service would provide the same.
Consequently, Justice Ogala ordered that Osibanjo be remanded at the appropriate custodial centre pending the filing and hearing of his bail application.
The case was adjourned till 26th May, 16th and 28th June for the commencement of trial.
