Crisis looms in Lagos as herdsmen kill bus conductor over cow

There was a crisis on Monday morning at Age-Mowo area of Badagry when suspected herdsmen reportedly lynched a 30-year-old commercial bus conductor after their vehicle rammed into their herds killing two cows in the process.

It was gathered that incident which happened at about 6:30a.m between in Age-Mowo and Agogo-Igbala in Badagry, caused serious pandemonium leaving commuters stranded.

It was learned that the driver of a J Five commercial bus with registration number FKJ 756 XH was coming with speed from Mile 2 while the two cows suddenly crossed the expressway.

A bus driver Olaunji who spoke to Vanguard at the scene said the bus driver was coming from mile 2 when all of a sudden two cows rammed into the vehicle which was in motion. As soon as the accident happened, their headers at Agbo-Malu began to chase the bus.

Fortunately, the driver managed to escape unhurt while the bus conductor who was still on the bus tried to escape but he could not run much when he was caught by the headers.

They removed his clothes and beat him till he became unconscious. When he became unconscious they left him unconscious thinking he was dead. The headers pounced on him again when he rose, moving toward Mowo Police station to seek refuge for the fear of being killed.”

It was learned that when the headers noticed that the conductor was going to the station, they ran after him, and caught up with him at about five meters to Mowo Police station where they eventually lynched him.

However, events took a different turn when young men and women gathered to avenge the death of the conductor. The youths who were seeking justice refused to allow police to take the remains of the conductor to the mortuary until the arrival of Col. M A ABBA, the Commanding Officer of 243 Recce-Batallion Barracks.

The commanding officer appealed to the youths and members of the communities and assured them justice would be done over the killing.

He thereafter ordered that the corpse of the conductor be taken and deposited in General Hospital in Badagry for further investigation on the matter.

Lamenting a food vendor Sekinat Lateef who spoke to Vanguard said the fact that more than two Police checkpoints within the area the police did not help the matter when the headers attacked the bus conductor was killed said even though there is more than two police checkpoints within the area the police did not intervene. When they were lynching the conductor he was shouting for help but nobody came to his rescue. If people had helped, he would have survived, but we all watched till they killed him,”

Vanguard gathered that the herders have been living peacefully with natives in Mowo community for over three decades.