A yet-to-be-identified staff member of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has been confirmed dead after a commercial bus crushed her along Meran road, in Alimosho Local Government Area of the state.
The female waste manager, it was learnt, was engaged in her lawful duties of ensuring a cleaner road when the blue Ford bus laden with bottles and canned beverages reversed and crushed her to death on the expressway
As gathered, the driver of the vehicle with number plate BDG 495 YH was said to be maneuvering along the road without considering the LAWMA staff member who was carrying out a routine cleaning exercise.
Eyewitnesses narrated that the severe impact, particularly to the head, proved instantly fatal for the highway waste manager.
The LASTMA’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who confirmed the sad development on Saturday, stated that the intervention of the traffic officers ensured the driver’s arrest and the recovery of the deceased LAWMA staff member’s body.
He said: “LASTMA Officers on active traffic surveillance duties around the Meiran axis swiftly mobilized to the scene upon receipt of the distress report.
“It was discovered that the driver had absconded from the crash site in a desperate attempt to evade accountability.
“Demonstrating exceptional alertness and professionalism, the officers immediately pursued the fleeing vehicle, successfully apprehended the driver and escorted him and his vehicle back to the scene of the incident.
“The apprehended driver and the implicated vehicle were subsequently handed over to security men from the Meiran Police Division for comprehensive investigation and prosecution in accordance with extant laws.
“The timely intervention of security personnel equally averted a potential breach of public peace, as the suspect was on the verge of being subjected to mob action by enraged members of the public.
“The remains of the deceased were respectfully evacuated from the scene by LAWMA officials using an official LAWMA vehicle for further necessary procedures”.
Bakare-Oki, in a statement made available to The Guild by LASTMA spokesperson, Taofiq Adebayo, expressed deep anguish over the tragic and avoidable loss of an innocent life, describing the occurrence as both distressing and preventable.
He extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues and loved ones of the fallen LAWMA operative, fervently praying that Almighty God grants them the fortitude and divine strength required to endure the irreplaceable loss.
Bakare-Oki unequivocally condemned the act of reversing on an expressway, stressing that it constitutes a serious traffic offence and a blatant contravention of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
He cautioned motorists against engaging in reckless, unlawful driving practices which continually result in needless fatalities and public sorrow.
