There was a mild drama and tension over death of a transport union member , Jelili Jimoh , at Agbado area of Ogun State where the incident happened.
It was gathered that Jimoh slumped and died some minutes later after he slapped a commercial motorcyclist (popularly known as okada rider), Ezekiel Amosu .
City Round learnt that Amosu on Monday picked a passenger going to Beshi bus stop in Agbado from Dalemo , a neighbouring community.
Some distance to the destination , Jimoh was said to have flagged him down and requested him to pay ticket fee for the day.
The rider reportedly gave Jimoh N100 which he rejected it , saying the sum was small. While the haggling went on , the collector reportedly slapped Amosu and detained his motorcycle , insisting that he should add to the N100 .
As Amosu was begging to be freed , he received another slap from Jimoh , who started fidgeting afterwards .
“ He went to sit somewhere and before we knew it , he slumped . We rushed him to a hospital and he was confirmed dead on arrival . I was stunned ,” an eyewitness , who identified himself simply as Muyiwa, told our correspondent . “ The okada rider didn ’ t touch him at all ,” he added .
Narrating what transpired that afternoon , a resident, Simon Johnson , stated that the okada rider explained to Jimoh that he did not frequent Agbado route and that he already paid for a ticket at Dalemo .
He said , “ I was passing by around 2 pm when the incident happened . The okada rider was trying to explain to Jelili (Jimoh ) that he usually operates around Dalemo . He was carrying a passenger to Beshi bus stop when he stopped him and asked for ticket fee.
“ The rider gave him N100 but he said it was little . He didn ’ t even tell him the actual amount to pay. The boy told him he didn ’ t work in Agbado and showed him the ticket he had collected that day. Jelili didn ’ t listen.
“ He then seized the metal the boy uses to luck his bike and slapped him . He left the bike and called some people to beg Jelili to release the metal . He slapped him again and went to sit somewhere . He started shivering and slumped. He was confirmed dead at the hospital. Everyone was shocked because the boy didn’t touch him . ”
Our correspondent learnt that the Divisional Police Officer , Agbado Division , SP Yero Kuranga , led a team to the scene to douse the tension already brewing in the area.
“ Some people who did not witness what happened were angry . They would have mobbed the rider but for the police who came to rescue him from the scene ,” an okada rider, Sule Abubakar , said .
“ His friends even testified that the young man didn ’ t touch him . So there was no reason to treat the rider as a suspect. What I suspect is he had high blood pressure . His wife told the police that he usually ran temperature at night, ” a source close to the deceased told City Round .
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi , confirmed the incident , adding that it was a case of sudden and unnatural death.
He said , “ It is true. He slapped the okada rider twice .
He slumped two minutes after and died. The rider did not touch him and many eyewitnesses testified at the police station . It was recorded as a case of sudden and unnatural death so arresting the rider will be a miscarriage of justice . ”
