…As Four dead in student protests in DR Congo***
A yet-to-be-identified woman has been knocked down by a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle at the Irawo end of the Ikorodu Road, Lagos State.
The accident, which occurred on Sunday, was said to have resulted in the death of the woman.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the woman was trying to cross to the other side of the road when she was hit by the bus.
According to an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the driver ran over the woman after he had knocked her down, adding that the driver fled the scene immediately.
The eyewitness stated, “She first got onto the BRT lane before crossing the rest of the highway, but an oncoming BRT bus knocked her down. My guess is that the driver did not see her run onto the lane because after he had knocked her down, he still ran over her.
“The driver ran away immediately he realised what he had done. There is a pedestrian bridge around where the accident occurred. The victim appeared pregnant, maybe that explains why she could not use the bridge.”
It was gathered that the woman was dead by the time the Lagos State Ambulance Service personnel arrived.
When the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, was contacted, he promised to get back to our correspondent. He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
In the meantime, three students and a police officer died in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo during weekend clashes at a protest over water and power outages, according to an updated death toll by the presidency on Monday.
The violence was sparked after a large area including Lubumbashi university was left without water and electricity for three days because of damage caused to vital cables and pipes by torrential rains.
The students were also demonstrating over higher fees.
Clashes broke out on Sunday after police used tear gas and warning shots to try to disperse crowds of students returning from the governor’s residence in Upper Katanga.
“The provisional figures established by officials report four deaths including three students and a policeman,” said Vital Kamerhe, chief of staff of new president Felix Tshisekedi, in a statement.
Tshisekedi was sworn in last Thursday, marking DR Congo’s first peaceful handover of power but only after chaotic and bitterly disputed elections.
Runner-up Martin Fayulu has dismissed the result as a stitch-up between Tshisekedi and outgoing president Joseph Kabila, who ruled DR Congo for 18 years.
The police officer who “ordered to shoot the peaceful students without warning” will be brought before a military court “to face the rigour of the law,” the statement said.
It added that increases to academic fees paid by the university’s 10,000 students had been “suspended”.
Water and electricity supplies have been restored to the university campus, according to students.
Earlier police reports had said one student was shot dead and a police officer died after being hit by an anti-riot vehicle.
Punch with additional report from AFP
