Pandemonium broke at the premises of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps on Monday, July 20 after a truck owner identified as Fatai Salami, allegedly committed suicide within the TRACE premises.
According to reports, Salami's driver was arrested last Thursday, July 16 by TRACE officials in Abeokuta for flouting the COVID-19 rules in the state. He was accused of not observing social distancing in his truck and also not wearing a face mask. The truck was seized and taken to TRACE premises, where the driver was fined N250, 000. He immediately called his boss, Mr Salami who came in and decided to sleep in the TRACE premises while pleading for his truck to be released.
According to reports, Salami was able to raise N150, 000 which was rejected by the officials. He threatened to commit suicide but was not taken seriously. Salami reportedly drank an insecticide and died.
Speaking on the incident, the spokesperson of TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, denied reports the man was a truck owner. He also denied claims the deceased was fined.
“The man was neither a truck driver nor a truck owner. We only saw him there, he sat on the floor and the people asked him to stand up and as he stood up he brought out something from his pocket and drank it.
We later discovered that it was snipper that he drank. He was rushed to the General Hospital, where he gave up the ghost. The case has been reported to the police.” Akinbiyi said.
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