The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA)
has confirmed the tragic death of a commercial tricycle operator following a
head-on collision with a Mercedes-Benz SUV driving against traffic along the
Badagry Expressway.
LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki,
disclosed the incident in a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s
Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Taofiq Adebayo.
The accident occurred at Origan, Oko-Afo, along the
Ile-Epo–Oko-Afo axis. The SUV, bearing the custom number plate “OSUNFNKE,” was
reportedly travelling one-way when it crashed into an oncoming tricycle with
registration number MUS 716 QM.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the SUV
driver was driving against traffic, a serious violation of Lagos traffic laws,”
Bakare-Oki said.
The impact of the collision left the tricycle operator
with severe injuries, including a dislocated knee, and he was confirmed dead at
the scene.
In what officials described as an appalling act of
recklessness, the SUV driver fled the scene, abandoning both his vehicle and
the victim’s body.
LASTMA officers secured the accident site and alerted
the Morogbo Division of the Nigeria Police Force. Officers from the division
arrived promptly, while personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps evacuated
the deceased to the Badagry General Hospital mortuary.
Both the SUV and the tricycle were later removed to
ease traffic flow and handed over to the police for further investigation and
potential prosecution.
Condemning the incident, Bakare-Oki described the
fleeing driver’s conduct as “a grave threat to public safety” and stressed that
the accident was entirely avoidable.
“This unfortunate loss of life underscores the deadly
consequences of traffic lawlessness,” he said, lamenting the persistent
disregard for road rules despite sustained public education and enforcement
campaigns.
The LASTMA boss reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to
safer roads through strict law enforcement and public awareness.
“This tragedy could have been prevented if the driver
had obeyed basic traffic regulations,” he added.
Bakare-Oki offered condolences to the victim’s family
and urged motorists to be more responsible, noting that “even one life lost is
one too many.”
LASTMA also appealed to all road users to desist from
illegal practices such as one-way driving, which endangers lives and undermines
public safety.
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