Truck Driver Flees After Crushing Lagos Dispatch Rider

A dispatch rider has lost his life after being struck by a fully loaded HOWO diesel tanker (RBC 38 XF) under the Cele Bridge corridor of the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway on Wednesday.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident in a statement by its spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq.

The truck driver immediately fled the scene, said Taofiq.

The tanker, while in motion, reportedly rammed into the dispatch motorcycle and trapped the rider underneath the tanker, who died instantly.

He also noted that LASTMA operatives intervened immediately, forestalled secondary collisions and safeguarded other commuters navigating the busy expressway.

“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,” Tafioq said in a statement read.

He also stated that 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 diligent prosecution.

The remains of the deceased after being professionally secured from underneath the tanker were thereafter conveyed by the Police to a morgue in Yaba.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condoled with the bereaved family.

He also urged the police to ensure that justice is served in accordance with the law.