A motorist was allegedly pushed off the Odo Iya Alaro Link Bridge in the Maryland area of Lagos during a confrontation with security operatives over an alleged Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane violation.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on Friday, came to public attention after a video circulated on social media showing the aftermath of the altercation.
According to the footage, the officers had stopped the motorist for allegedly driving on the dedicated BRT lane.
What began as routine enforcement reportedly escalated into a heated disagreement over the payment of a penalty before the situation turned violent.
The video showed several uniformed officers engaged in a confrontation with a group of young men on the bridge, while another scene captured a man lying below the bridge surrounded by sympathisers who claimed he had been pushed during the altercation.
A narrator in the video, speaking in Pidgin English, accused the officers of routinely intimidating motorists and demanding large sums of money as penalties for BRT lane violations.
He alleged that the victim was pushed off the bridge after refusing to make a payment allegedly demanded by the operatives.
The narrator further claimed that enforcement officers stationed around the Odo Iya Alaro Bridge regularly stop motorists, cause traffic congestion and subject road users to harassment under the guise of enforcing BRT lane regulations.
As of the time of filing this report, the identity and condition of the alleged victim could not be independently verified.
BRT lane enforcement in Lagos is supervised by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority under the state Ministry of Transportation.
The Lagos State Government had suspended enforcement of the BRT lane along the Eko Bridge and Odo Iya Alaro corridor in July last year to ease traffic congestion before restoring enforcement in October.
When contacted for a reaction, the Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Kolawole Ojelabi, directed enquiries to the Ministry of Transportation.
However, attempts to obtain comments from the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Bolanle Ogunlola, were unsuccessful, as telephone calls did not connect and a text message sent to her had yet to receive a response at the time of filing this report.
Similarly, efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, for comments proved unsuccessful.
Calls placed to his phone were not answered, while a text message seeking the police’s reaction had not been replied to before press time.