Jerry Ironkwe, the driver who ran over two sweepers from the Lagos State Waste Management Authority—65-year-old Folashade Odufuwa and 60-year-old Ajoke Adefuye—in the Gbagada region of the state, was charged by the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday.
The 45-year-old technician was charged with three charges of reckless driving that resulted in the deaths of the two people in front of Magistrate L.Y. Balogun in a Yaba Magistrate Court.
In a brief presented on behalf of Haruna Magaji, the police prosecutor, Chekwubeh Okeh, informed the court that the defendant had committed the offense on November 13, 2023, at approximately 7:30 a.m. at the Charley Boy Bus Stop on the Gbagada Expressway.
According to Okeh, the offenses violated the Road Traffic Law, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012, Sections 18(1) and 20, and are punishable thereunder.
According to the charges, “That on November 13, 2023, at approximately 7.30 am at the Charley Boy Bus Stop, along the Gbagada Expressway, Lagos in the Yaba Magisterial District, you, Jerry Ironkwe, as the driver in charge of one Honda Accord saloon car with Reg. No. EPE 984 DV, drove said vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public, without due care and attention, or reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway, and thereby committed an offense against Section 18(1) of the Road Traffic Law, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012.”
“That you, Jerry Ironkwe, committed an offense in violation of Section 20 of the Road Traffic Law, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012, by recklessly driving the same vehicle to the public on the same date, time, and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, resulting in the death of one Folashade Odufuwa, 65 years of age.
“That you, Jerry Ironkwe, committed an offense in violation of Section 20 of the Road Traffic Law, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012, by recklessly driving the same vehicle to the public on the aforementioned date, time, and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District and causing the death of one Ajoke Adefuye, aged sixty.”
Ironkwe, the accused, entered a not guilty plea to the allegations brought against him nonetheless.
After he entered a plea, Balogun granted him N1 million in bail, with two responsible sureties providing an equivalent amount.
On the other hand, she instructed the police to make a copy of the case file and forward it to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions office for legal counsel.
On the DPP’s advice, she postponed the case to December 13, 2023.
When Adefuye and Odufuwa were performing their regular LAWMA responsibilities, they were struck by an automobile and instantly lost their lives.
In the meantime, evidence was presented in court that Ironkwe, the driver, is a mechanic who was hired to maintain the Honda saloon that collided with the innocent sweepers, not the owner.
Additionally, it was learned that, contrary to what the previously circulated report indicated, Ironkwe was being pursued by criminals on the day of the incident rather than by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority agents.
The same day, the Ministry of Transportation issued a statement in which it said, “No LASTMA officer was involved in the unfortunate incident.” It further stated that anyone found responsible following the police inquiry would be subject to severe legal repercussions.