Truck crushes LASTMA officer, two motorcyclists to death

Tragedy struck at the busy Badagry Roundabout in Lagos on Monday as a cement-laden truck rammed into a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officer and two commercial motorcyclists, killing them on the spot. PUNCH Metro learnt that the crash occurred at about 9 am on Monday. An eyewitness who spoke to our correspondent but did not want his name in print said the truck was approaching the junction at top speed when it suddenly lost control, swerved off its lane and crushed the victims in the process. “The LASTMA officer was controlling the traffic when he lost control and was suddenly crushed on the spot. The two motorcyclists were also affected while they were waiting to pick up passengers,” the eyewitness said. A police source who also spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, as he was not permitted to speak to the press, said the incident resulted in gridlock in the area. “Other LASTMA officials were mobilised to the scene of the incident due to their affected colleague. Our men were also on the ground, as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps, to manage the situation,” he added. The officer, however, confirmed that the driver was immediately apprehended and taken into custody. He added that the remains of the victims had been evacuated to a hospital mortuary, while the truck was impounded for further investigation. According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday, the unit commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Yusuf Sanni, confirmed the incident, stating that the driver had been arrested. “The driver has been taken to Badagry Police Station,” Sanni said, attributing the crash to a loss of control and urging motorists to avoid the area. He added that the victims’ remains had been deposited at the hospital mortuary, while the truck involved was impounded at the police station. CSP Folajimi Agosile, Divisional Police Officer of Badagry Police Station, also confirmed the driver’s detention pending prosecution. “He will be arraigned at the Chief Magistrates’ Court once investigations are concluded,” Agosile said. When contacted, the spokesperson for LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, promised to provide an update but had yet to respond as of the time this report was filed. The incident occurred just three days after LASTMA reported the death of one person and the rescue of four others following a road accident at Ekoro Junction, inward Abule-Egba, Lagos State, on Friday evening.