Hanofi Taofeek’s family is in grief after he was crushed to death by a commercial bus driver, Arinze Okafor, on Iludun Street in Lagos State’s Amukoko neighborhood.
Hanofi was at his wife’s shop on Ajose Street, off Amukoko Roundabout, getting ready to go home when the bus, colloquially known as Korope, plowed into them.
He was alleged to have died on the spot, while his wife, Taiwo, went unconscious and was taken to Apapa General Hospital.
Taiwo told our correspondent on Tuesday that she found out about her husband’s death three weeks after she was released from the hospital.
“Around 11 p.m., my husband and I were heading home after I closed for the day,” she explained. My husband worked as a bakery manager, and I sell noodles. He frequently visited my shop so that we could both go home together.
“We were walking on the boardwalk when we were hit from behind by a bus. I was told three days after the deadly accident that I had been unconscious for three days, and it wasn’t until three weeks later, when I was discharged from the General Hospital, that I found out my husband had died on the spot.
“Neighbors informed me that the bus driver was in police detention in Amukoko. The IPO handling the case informed me that he was going to withdraw the case because I lacked the funds to pursue it. They asked whether I had any money to pay for the case to be heard, but I told them I didn’t. He also stated that the suspect’s family should simply give me the money for the therapy without any justice being served. I don’t have anyone; my husband was the one who sent his two younger siblings to school and cared for them; who will assist us now?
“People around who knew the man who drove the bus that night said he was inebriated; we also learnt that he wasn’t the owner of the vehicle and he didn’t have a driving licence. He is currently detained. However, the cops are being irresponsible and liberal in their handling of the situation.
“None of the suspect’s family members came to check on me during my stay in the hospital; my hospital bills were paid by my husband’s buddy and my family.”
The 29-year-old, who bemoaned her husband’s death, also wanted justice.
“We had been married for three years with no children when they took my husband’s life. The suspect’s family was stating they would pay N1m but in monthly installments, but I informed them I wasn’t interested in their money. “All I want is justice for my husband’s death,” she continued.
Abiodun Razak, a friend of the victim, alleged that he spared the driver from being lynched by hoodlums and carried him to the Amukoko Police Station, where the incident was recorded.
“The case’s progress is discouraging. “The cops keep questioning if we have enough money to prosecute the case,” he continued.
Sunday Omolokun, a member of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, declared that all efforts to ensure justice had been futile.
According to Benjamin Hundeyin, the state Police Public Relations Officer, “the matter was charged to court today (Wednesday).”
