Yinka Johnson, the female banker, who was arrested on Friday by the police for allegedly crushing an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority to death while driving against traffic, has said the alleged crime was a frame-up.
The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu, had told SATURDAY PUNCH that Johnson crushed the LASTMA official, Ahmed Balogun, while trying to evade arrest in the Ajah area of the state.
Edu alleged that Johnson ran from the scene of the incident immediately into Ikota Estate, Ajah, where she was later arrested by policemen attached to Area J Command.
Johnson, who is an employee of Stanbic IBTC, is being detained along with her three-month old baby, Deborah.
She said, “I was driving on Lekki-Epe Expressway trying to navigate to the other side of the road when I was accosted by a LASTMA official.
“While I was discussing with the LASTMA official, a vehicle crushed another official a few metres away, causing commotion.”
Johnson said she did not run away from the crime scene as it was not far from her home but instead, alighted from her car during the pandemonium and called her husband.
According to her, after the LASTMA officials drove her car way, she went to the police station with her husband to report the incident.
She added that upon getting to the station, she saw her vehicle and learnt that the matter had been reported to the police.
A relative of the victim, who craved anonymity, said the police was biased with investigations. He said because the state government was aggrieved, it was trying to punish Johnson even though the real suspect was still at large.
Due to the sensitive nature of the case and the minor involved, Project Alert, a non-governmental organisation and some legal luminaries were also at the SCID on Saturday.
