Accident Victim Threatens Suicide Over LAGBUS Management’s Neglect
An Oyo State Indigene, Hanifat Kareem who’s said to be currently going through depression, threatened to commit suicide. The 25-year-old threatened to end her life after loosing one of her two legs in an accident at the Ojota area of Lagos State.
Narrating how the accident happened and what she’s going through after the accident, She revealed that she was on her way to see a friend, in the Surulere area when she was hit by a LAGBUS vehicle in the Ojota area. Kareem said she was dragged by the bus for some distance before some commuters stopped the vehicle around Ikosi, Ketu, the next bus stop.
Her words; “My ordeal started on Saturday, April 25, 2015, while I was going on a visit. I live in Magboro, Ogun State, and was heading for Surulere, Lagos State, that day. When I got to Ojota and was about to climb a pedestrian bridge, a LAGBUS hit me.
“The vehicle dragged me to Ikosi, Ketu. Some commuters chased the bus and rescued me. But immediately the driver saw what happened, he abandoned the vehicle and fled’.
“I was taken to the General Hospital, Lagos Island, and was unconscious for some days. One of my legs was amputated because of the extent of my injuries. After spending three months at the hospital, I was discharged”.
According to Kareem, LAGBUS paid her hospital bills and one of the officials, Tosin Alamu, asked her to go to the National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi, for a prosthetic leg.
She said after she was given the artificial leg, Alamu invited her to the LAGBUS office at Ikosi, Ketu. “When I got there, he said the management had said I should be paid a compensation of N50,000. I was surprised because the money was too small. But he said that was all the government could give me and that he even struggled to get the money out.
“He asked me to sign a document that I received the money, but I refused. I asked him for the cheque with which the money was issued, but he said the money was paid directly into his account and I should thank my stars that I was not on a BRT lane when the accident happened. He said the payment was on compassionate grounds,” she added.
Kareem further revealed that six months after collecting the prosthetic leg, it got damaged and she called Alamu for help to repair it but he shunned her.
After raising N60,000 to buy a new one as the damage was reported to be irreparable, Kareem said the new prosthetic leg developed another fault.
She said, “I could no longer walk well with it. When I approached the orthopedic hospital, I was told that I would have to buy another one. I called Alamu the second time for help, but he abused me and said I should allow him to enjoy his life and I should never call him again. I returned to Igbobi after raising N40,000 and begged the man in charge, one Dimeji, to loan me the N20,000 balance and I promised to repay him”.
“Till now, I have not repaid the debt. I have two children aged three and five, and they have been out of school since last year. When my husband saw that the problem had become unbearable, he abandoned me. I am tired of my life and will kill myself if I can’t find a way out”, she spoke in frustration.
