LASTMA Killing Latest | Female Banker Charged With Reckless Driving

 The police on Tuesday arraigned a female banker, Yinka Johnson, before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, for alleged reckless driving.
Lead prosecutor, Chukwu Agwu, told the court that Johnson, an employee of Stanbic IBTC, drove her Range Rover Jeep with Lagos number plate CY 276 LSD against traffic at Mega City, Ikota, along Lekki-Epe Expressway.

She was charged with one count of reckless driving, which according to the charge sheet, is punishable under Section 29(1) of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2003.

The charge sheet stated, “That you Yinka Johnson at about 8:30am on August 10 did drive your Land Rover Jeep on the highway recklessly and against traffic without reasonable consideration for other road users.”

When her plea was taken, she pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against her.

Johnson’s lawyer, Emeka Okpoko, put up an oral bail application for her, urging the court to grant it on liberal terms.

“The defendant is a nursing mother who is still breast feeding a baby. We assure the court that she will not jump bail if granted,” he said.

Magistrate J. A. Adegun admitted her to bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum.

He said the surety must furnish the court with verifiable residential and official addresses.

The case was adjourned till September 5 for further hearing.

LASTMA authorities had accused Johnson of crushing one of its officials, Hameed Balogun, while she was driving against traffic, an allegation she denied.

Detectives attached to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation had visited the crime scene on Monday for an on-the-spot assessment where eyewitnesses insisted that she did not crush the LASTMA official.

Eyewitnesses said Balogun was crushed by a commercial bus driver while he was attempting to cross the road.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said investigations exonerated Johnson from murder.

She said, “When she (Johnson) was brought to the police, she was accused of killing the LASTMA official but when we began investigation, we heard from eyewitnesses and also visited the crime scene.

“Investigations revealed that she did not kill the LASTMA official; rather, he was killed by a hit-and- run commercial bus.”

Culled from PUNCH