An unidentified dispatch rider has been confirmed dead by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) after being crushed by an articulated truck along Apapa–Oshodi Expressway in the state.
The Howo truck with number plate RBC 38 XF crushed the dispatch rider, whose body was recovered under the vehicle, around the Cele Bridge end of the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway.
As gathered, the body of the deceased dispatch rider, after being recovered underneath the tanker, was thereafter conveyed by the Police to a morgue in Yaba, pending when the body would be identified.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who confirmed the sad development on Wednesday, conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, describing the incident as deeply distressing.
In a statement released by LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, he urged the Police to pursue a comprehensive inquiry into the root cause of the crash and ensure that justice is served in accordance with the law.
According to the statement, “LASTMA personnel stationed along the axis acted with prompt precision, instantly cordoning off and securing the crash site with cones and cautionary red tape. This swift intervention was undertaken to forestall secondary collisions and to safeguard other commuters navigating the busy expressway.
“The offending tanker was subsequently impounded by LASTMA officials, although the driver absconded upon perceiving the gravity of the incident.
“Operatives of the Ijesha Police Division arrived to reinforce security and assume investigative responsibility in line with established protocols as the deceased rider, impounded tanker, and the damaged motorcycle were handed over to the Police by LASTMA for thorough investigation and the diligent prosecution”.
