A pregnant woman and her unborn child died in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday after being hit by a commercial bus driver, who lost control of his vehicle while trying to evade park fees.
The incident, which took place around Agodi, almost led to the driver’s lynching by enraged witnesses. He was, however, rescued by the police.
According to some witnesses, the man, who was driving a Lagos-bound passenger bus marked Lagos XR 989 ISR, was trying to escape some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, when he lost control of the bus, swerved to the other side of the road, and hit the woman.
The NURTW members had tried to stop him to collect their usual N50 park fee.
The pregnant woman reportedly died on the spot. However, she was rushed to the Adeoyo State Hospital, Yemetu, where she was confirmed dead.
The State Acting Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, Inyang Ignatius, while reacting to the incident, said that the driver had been placed in protective custody. He also insisted that, contrary to public perception, the police were not trying to shield the man.