• ‘Others In Stable Conditions’
• Sanwo-Olu, Wife, Tinubu’s Wife Visit Victims’ Families
• Residents Donate 256 Units Of Blood
• Police Send Bus Driver’s Case File To DPP For Advise
• FRSC Cautions Against Undue Interference With Rail Tracks
Lagos State government, yesterday, revealed that 32 persons among the 102 passengers that were involved in the train accident that happened last Thursday at PWD Bus Stop along Agege Motor Road had been discharged from the hospital.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this during a press briefing to give update on the incident. According to the commissioner, 19 of the victims admitted at the Lagos State University Teaching University (LASUTH), five of those admitted at the State Emergency Centre at Tollgate and eight of those admitted at Orile-Agege General Hospital had been discharged.
Abayomi further said that all others still on admission were in very stable conditions, disclosing that the accident happened around 7:30am while the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) arrived the scene 7:45am, just as the injured passengers arrived LASUTH at 8:30am.
He said that LASEMA did a wonderful job in separating the bus from the train to give room for other health sector responders to attend to the victims. He also revealed that from 12 noon last Thursday till 12 noon yesterday, no passenger had died.
The commissioner praised the LASUTH team for its effort in providing care for the victims, saying there were very few hospitals in the world that could cope with a sudden emergency and attend to the patients brought in adequately.
Abayomi also applauded Lagos residents for donating blood voluntarily to the state blood bank, disclosing that 256 units of blood samples were collected from those who came forward after the call for blood donation was sent out.
He added that 40 units of blood transfusion had been used for the victims’ so far. He also stated that to ensure that the victims were adequately attended to, they were distributed to some hospitals outside LASUTH.
He listed other hospitals that attended to the victims aside from LASUTH to include Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos Island General Hospital, Orile Agege General Hospital and Emergency Centre at Lagos Tollgate.
This was as the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC), CP Yetunde Alonge, revealed that the case file of Oluwaseun Osunbajo, the driver who drove the bus which collided with the train had been sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advise.
Speaking with The Guardian, Alonge said that aside from being prosecuted, the driver would undergo medical evaluation to determine his state of mind as of the time of the accident.
On how long the file would last at the DPP, Alonge said she was not in a position to say but added that it won’t take time because of the interest of the state government.
“You know this is a state government matter and the governor is interested. So, it is expected that the DPP advise would be out in no distance time,” she said.
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, paid a condolence visit to the home of a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Aina Oreoluwa Juliana, serving in the Ministry of Education, who died in the accident.
The governor visited the family along with the Head of Service, Hakeem Muri Okunola and other cabinet members. He also visited the home of 54-year-old Mrs. Victoria Johnson nee Dada, a Social Welfare Officer of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), who died in the tragedy.
Sanwo-Olu was also in the home of the family of a staff of Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Esther Rokosu, who also lost her life in the incident.
Also, the wife of the President-elect, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, yesterday visited victims of the accident at the various health facilities where they were being treated.
Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu were accompanied by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, and other senior officials of the state government, where they empathised with the victims.
The hospitals visited include the General Hospital, Gbagada; Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre, Tollgate and LASUTH, Ikeja.They went on a ward round and got a first-hand briefing on the train crash and efforts to save the lives of the victims.
While commiserating with the patients at the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre, Tinubu came across a 23-year-old man, Osita Anazi, from Ebonyi State, who was involved in an auto accident and required surgery as a result of pains arising from clinical right femoral fracture.
Tinubu keenly enquired about his condition and pleaded with the young man, who didn’t have the financial means for the surgery, to stay back in Lagos, assuring that his treatment would be sorted.
According to her, “Lagos accommodates all citizens and prioritises the welfare and well-being of all Nigerians.” Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu commiserated with the families that lost their loved ones, describing the accident as unfortunate and deeply painful.
Speaking in an interview at LASUTH, Tinubu urged drivers to be more careful and work to avoid situations that could result in the loss of precious lives in the future.
“From our assessment of the situation, we can see that the patients are in good hands; they are stabilised. We are not God but we are saddened by what has happened.
“We hope that the drivers are more careful to avoid this in the future. We commiserate with the families that lost their loved ones and wish those who are here speedy recovery,” she said.
She also commended the state government for taking care of the medical bills of all the patients, just as she presented various gift items to the victims to aid and fast-track their recovery process.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has also commiserated with Governor Sanwo Olu and the people of the state over the fatal train accident.
The governor, in a statement, described the accident as unfortunate and sad, praying for the repose of souls of the deceased and quick recovery for the injured.
“We are saddened by the news of the accident involving a train and the staff bus of the Lagos State Government in the Oshodi area of the state. It is unfortunate and sad.
“Our prayers are with the families of the deceased. We pray that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We also pray for quick recovery of those who suffered injuries in the sad incident,” Obaseki said.
He added: “I extend the condolences of the government and people of Edo State to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo Olu, the families of the deceased and citizens of Lagos State, and pray that God grants repose to the soul of the departed.”
While sympathising with the victims of the accident yesterday, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) cautioned all categories of road users to desist from undue interference with rail tracks whether or not the rails are engaged by trains.
The Corps Marshal of FRSC, Dauda Ali Biu, who gave the warning in a statement signed by the Assistant Corps Marshal, Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, also called on traders to avoid the unwholesome practice of displaying wares around or on rail tracks.
