Policeman drives against traffic,knocks down woman and her baby.

Identified simply as Friday, the  police corporal who is attached to FESTAC Police Division, was driving against traffic on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway when he knocked down the victims.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the graduate of Mathematics Education was alighting from a commercial bus with her child and had not noticed the police patrol van coming from the wrong direction.

The victim’s husband, Sulaiman, said the policeman claimed he was running an errand for the Divisional Police Officer, Ibrahim Zango.

The policeman was said to have told them that he was instructed by the DPO to drop off a woman at the airport in Ikeja and he drove against traffic to avoid traffic congestion on the appropriate route so that she would not miss her flight.

He said, “The accident occurred on June 23, 2013. My wife was on her way to a religious progamme when a police driver drove recklessly on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. He was driving against traffic and shouting at drivers on the right side of the road to clear out.

“He eventually knocked down my wife and baby while they were alighting from a bus.

“The policeman’s first concern at the scene of the accident was to immediately get a cab to convey the woman in his vehicle to her destination.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the policeman rushed the victims to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, and deposited N70,000 for their treatment.

At LUTH however, doctors at the emergency ward discovered that the mother of three had sustained a pelvic fracture, facial bruises, and brain injury while the baby, Ammarah, also suffered deep facial cuts and a broken jaw.

Our correspondent, who visited the victim at Ward E3 on Thursday, observed that she was recuperating.

Sulaiman said his wife was a teacher and he feared if she would recover completely.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident.

She said disciplinary action was being taken against the DPO, while the police driver had been detained.

“It is really a pathetic case and no one is happy about it. You were the one that just informed us of the incident. We have started taking disciplinary action against the DPO and the corporal. We will hold a meeting on the issue on Friday,” she said.

Braide however said she could not say if financial support would be given to the family until after the meeting.

-Punch