Members of The Muslim Congress (TMC) and Al-Mu’minaat, the Believing Women Organisation, in Lagos State have donated about 51 pints of blood to injured victims of the unfortunate bus-train collision.

The incident, which happened on Thursday at PWD by Shogunle railway line, on the Agege Motor road, claimed the lives of six people while 79 others sustained different degrees of injuries.

The blood donation exercise was conducted by health practitioners and officers of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) at the monthly Fiqh Forum, held on Sunday, March 12, at the Da’wah Center, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria.

Fiqh Forum is a gathering of knowledge where scholars address different topical and contemporary issues from the lenses of Islamic jurisprudence.

Thousands of Muslim faithful attended this month’s edition that saw Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafii, Grand Mufti of Conference of Islamic Organisations, CIO, dissecting Fiqh As-Siyaam (The Jurisprudence of Fasting) in preparation for Ramadan 1444 AH.

Speaking with Muslim News, Imam Sherifdeen Ibrahim, TMC National Vice President noted that the day’s edition of Fiqh Forum was a special one addressing two pressing issues.

“The first is preparation for Ramadan and one of the ways by which we prepare is to run a check one’s health and medical well-being. Secondly, we’re here to sympathise and empathise with the Lagos State Government and those affected by the bus-train collision in Ikeja last week.

“We also use the opportunity to encourage our members to partake in the noble act of blood donation as support for victims of the accident in need of blood. This is our own way of contributing and showing concern to the people of the state and it emanates from the concept of benefaction which Islam does not take with levity.”

He expressed his sadness over the bus-train collision and prayed for those affected by it.

Alhaji Abdul-Yaqeen Kofoworola, Welfare Officer, TMC Lagos State shed more light on the blood donation exercise.

According to him, we are deeply concerned about the incident and thought of how to help the survivors. So, when the Lagos government called on people to donate blood for the survivors, we saw it as the best opportunity. We collaborated with LSBTS and invited them to our program where our members, sister organisation (Al-Mu’minaat) and the general public will be attending. As can be seen, donation is ongoing already. By my calculations, they’ve had not less than 40 donors.”

He admonished that drivers be more obedient and compliant to traffic rules to prevent the recurrence of such mischance in the future.

Akintola Kuburat Olajumoke, who led  LSBTS Team expressed sincere gratitude to TMC, Al-Muminaat for the kind gestures, describing it as “laudable act of kindness”.

According to her, “We are thankful to our Muslim brothers and sisters for this laudable act of kindness, as you don’t know who might be in need of blood, it might be your relative or next door neighbour. I’ve received blood from donors and I’ve been a donor as well. We’re really impressed, people are trying a lot. As I speak, we’ve had about fourty donors and it’s still counting. We’re really very grateful.”

A niqabi (a Muslim woman in veil), Hajia Aisha Bint Islam, was happy to have been among the donors, saying that the blood donation process is a seamless one.

Bint Islam, one of the leaders of Al-Muminaat sympathised with the victims who lost their lives, thereby calling on the Lagos State Government to put barricades or Gates in place to stop vehicles when the train approaches.

According to her “My advice Lagos State Government is to put in place, barriers or barricades that will prevent vehicles from passing when the train is using the rail track. And to drivers, they should know they will account for every soul lost under their watch. Islam does not toy with the life of people. We implore drivers and vehicle operators to take lives as sacred as Allah has made it.”