Tragedy struck in Surulere area of Lagos on Tuesday as a 62-year-old man, Mr. Abayomi Balogun, was crushed to death by a blue bus of the Bus Rapid Transit opposite the Office of the Lagos State Public Defender, Funsho Williams Avenue.

According to an eyewitness identified simply as John, Balogun was about to cross the lane when the bus with registration number XL 852 KTU and code number 82, which was on top speed, hit him and crushed his head. He died instantly.

John, who has a business opposite the BRT lane where the accident occurred, said, “The BRT driver and his assistant promptly abandoned the bus and ran away. When the passengers in the bus realised what had happened, they all scampered out of the bus and ran away too.

“The whole area was agog with rampaging youths from the neighbourhood, protesting the death of the man.”

The youth reportedly wanted to burn all BRT buses within the vicinity before they were prevailed on by the family of the deceased.

Another eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the deceased had already crossed the BRT lane but saw two school children who wanted to cross the road.

The witness said Balogun held the children’s hands and took them across. But as he attemped to cross the lane again, he was knocked to the ground by the bus.

The deceased’s brains, whose corpse had been deposited at the Surulere General Hopital, Lagos, had been covered with sand on the lane when PUNCH METRO visited the scene.

Passers-by and eyewitnesses were seen at the scene recording the gory sight with their mobile phone cameras.

When our correspondent visited Balogun’s family at 14, Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, his relatives were still battling with the dilemma of how to tell his elder sister identified simply as Alhaja Suleiman about the sad news.

PUNCH METRO found out that the incident happened around 7am when school pupils were on their way to schools. It was learnt that the deceased had on Monday night complained about cold and on Tuesday told his relatives that he was going to a hospital for medical check up.

A niece of the deceased, Mrs. Kudirat Ogunsanya, told PUNCH METRO amid sobs that she had to look for elders in the neighbourhood to assist in breaking the news to Balogun’s sister.

A nephew of the deceased, who spoke on behalf of the family, Mr. Kehinde Bakare, said the incident was an indescribable pain for the family.

“This kind of death is not the kind anybody would wish an elderly person. The drivers of these buses drive sometimes like madmen. They believe when they are on that lane they are the gods of the road. That is something the government would have to look into. Something should be done to curb the excesses of these drivers,” Bakare said.

The family has since made a statement at the Area C Police Station, Surulere.

Mr. Muibi Oladosu, the Investigating Police Officer, who has been assigned to the case in the Traffic Section of the station, said the management of the BRT had been notified.

“They would produce the driver. We have already called them,” he said.

Saw the body and brains scattered on the floor with other organs of his body when going to work yesterday. Was really a gory sight.

Twas a noble death IMO.ds BRT drivers shld b put 2 check ,May Allah grant him Aljanah Faridau.