Delivery rider dies as LASTMA arrests fleeing tanker driver in Lagos

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

A commercial delivery motorcycle rider was killed on Wednesday after he was knocked down by a tanker along Kodesho Road, opposite Mrs Filling Station, inward Awolowo Way/Oba Akran, in the Maryland-Ikeja area of Lagos.

The tanker driver allegedly fled the scene after the crash but was later apprehended by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) following a swift pursuit.

The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, saying the tanker, with registration number T-19089LA, was conveying 33-litre groundnut oil when it struck and fatally crushed the rider.

According to the statement, the victim died instantly, while the fleeing driver was intercepted by LASTMA officers and handed over, alongside the vehicle, to the State Traffic Department (STD), Area ‘F’ Police Command, Ikeja, for investigation and prosecution.

LASTMA said its personnel secured the accident scene, managed traffic and coordinated emergency response operations to ensure the free flow of vehicles during the recovery exercise.

The agency added that fellow delivery riders at the scene contacted the deceased’s family and expressed grief over the loss of their colleague.

Expressing sympathy with the bereaved family, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the incident as “heartbreaking and avoidable.”

He urged drivers of articulated vehicles, tankers and other heavy-duty trucks to exercise greater caution and comply strictly with traffic regulations.

“Reckless driving, excessive speed and the criminal act of fleeing accident scenes constitute grave offences that endanger innocent lives and attract the full weight of the law,” Bakare-Oki said.

He reaffirmed LASTMA’s commitment to collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force and other emergency response agencies to ensure prompt incident management, public safety and seamless traffic flow across Lagos State.