Justice Oyindamola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday, remanded Oluwaseun Osibanjo, the driver of Lagos Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), which collided with a train at PWD, Ikeja, in Nigeria Correctional facility.
   
Osibanjo was remanded after he pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge of involuntary manslaughter of the bus passengers brought against him by the Lagos State government.
  
The defendant’s alleged offences border on running into a moving train, causing grievous harm and involuntary manslaughter. His offences contravened provision of sections 244 and 245 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
  
Following his plea, the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility, as well as chose a trial date.
   
Martins said that the defendant committed the offences on March 9, 2023 at about 7:00a.m. at Shogunle Level Crossing, Ikeja, Lagos. The prosecution told the court that the defendant ignored warning signals and ran into an incoming train, and negligently killed Oreoluwa Aina, Tolulope Emmanuel, Olayinka Rokosu, Ganiyat Salaudeen, Lasisi Isah and Victoria Dada.

The prosecution also alleged that the defendant inflicted grievous harm on Bolanle Ogunbunmi, Ayomide Shobowale, Sarah Adeleye, Abiola Olarewaju, Esther Ekundayo, Samuel Fagbola and Ismail Bakare.
   
Others were Ayuib Arowoye, Rilwan Abdulazeez and Shiyanbola Murtala. However, the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Lekan Egberongbe, prayed the court to remand the defendant in police custody, for reasons of ill health. He told the court that the defendant was brought from the Federal Medical Centre Ebute-Metta on Tuesday morning.
   
“I plead with the court that while we wait the trial date to allow him to be remanded in police custody,” he said. The prosecution, however, submitted that the defendant be remanded and if there were a need for him to get medical attention, the correctional service would provide it.
  
Responding, Justice Ogala said the court did not have the medical report of the defendant.
   
“The court does not have the power to remand the defendant in police custody. If the custodial centre is served with the necessary medical report of the defendant, he should be given proper medical attention,” Ogala said.
  
The judge subsequently adjourned the trial to May 26, 2023, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in Nigeria Correctional Centre pending the filing and hearing of his bail application.