How a female soldier set the BRT buses on fire - Eye witness tells the true story of July 4 Ikorodu Road mayhem

A witness at the ongoing inquiry into the July 4 Ikorodu Road mayhem, Mr. Razak Mustapha, told the three-man panel on Wednesday that a female soldier sprayed the Bus Rapid Transit vehicles with petrol.

Some BRT vehicles were reportedly set ablaze at Palmgrove Bus Stop on July 4, 2014 during a mayhem that occupied the public place for more than three hours.

The incident was caused by the death of a soldier.

Mustapha, an employee of Mutual Model Transport Ltd., a sub-operator of the LAGBUS, gave the testimony before the retired Justice Ebenezer Adebajo-chaired tribunal.

The tribunal had been charged with the duty of investigating the said mayhem.

Mustapha told the panel that on July 4, he was assigned by his company to tow a BRT vehicle that had broken down at Palmgrove.

According to Mustapha, their mission was to return the vehicle which broke down to the BRT depot.

Mustapha said that while he attempting to start the bus, he discovered a corpse inside the vehicle and immediately informed his colleague.

He told the tribunal that he and his colleague rushed out of the vehicle and made a phone call to his boss, giving an account of what he saw.

Mustapha said that while he was waiting for further directive, a man approached the bus, climbed in, apparently to see the corpse.

According to Mustapha, it was the man that later informed some soldiers who were passing by that the corpse of a soldier was lying in the bus.

Mustapha said, “They (the soldiers) entered the bus. They saw the body and checked his identity card. They assigned two soldiers to guard the bus and left.

“When they came back, they started vandalising the bus. A female soldier came and she started pouring fuel inside the bus.

“After that I saw three buses, one in blue colour and two in red colour on fire.”

Giving his own version of the story, a mechanic, Umeaku, who was with Mustapha at the time of the incident, told the tribunal Mustapha told him there was a dead man inside the bus.

He said, “I did not see the body. It was Mustapha who told me.”

The further hearing in the matter was adjourned till September 18, 2014 (today).

Men of the Nigerian Army and the relatives of the deceased soldier are expected to give their own testimonies in the matter today