A school bus driver, Odunsa Mandala, has been arrested by the police after two pupils died while others passed out due to suffocation in their school bus in Aguda area of Lagos state.
Mandala was taking the pupils back to their homes after the close of school when the incident occurred on Friday, July 8.
The pupils were said to have repeatedly complained to him about how uncomfortable they felt but he allegedly ignored their complaint until most of them in the bus suffocated and passed out.
When he saw the state they were in, he raised an alarm and the pupils were rushed to the hospital. While some of them were rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital., others were rushed to Randle hospital. Sadly, two of the pupils lost their lives.
The state police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident on Twitter said, “Yes, the driver has been arrested but the young souls are already gone, sadly so. A school bus driver ignored repeated complaints from the kids he was taking home that they were not feeling well. Some of the kids went unconscious, two eventually died.
“Schools need to up their game in recruitment and pay more attention to job fit. Parents too need to do thorough background checks of schools and crèches before entrusting their kids into their care.
“Meanwhile, the relevant regulatory agency has been notified of this act of gross negligence. Security is everyone’s business.”