The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested a tanker driver accused of fleeing after allegedly knocking down and killing a commercial dispatch rider along Kodesho Road, opposite Mrs Filling Station, inward Awolowo Way/Oba Akran in the Maryland-Ikeja area of Lagos.
The development was disclosed in a statement shared on Wednesday by LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, via the agency’s official X handle.
According to the statement, the incident involved a fully loaded tanker transporting 33-litre groundnut oil, bearing registration number T-19089LA.
The agency said the tanker “violently struck and fatally crushed the delivery rider, resulting in his instantaneous death.”
LASTMA alleged that the driver attempted to escape immediately after the crash without assisting the victim or reporting the incident to the relevant authorities.
“In a reprehensible attempt to evade justice, the tanker driver reportedly sped away from the accident scene without rendering assistance to the victim or notifying the relevant authorities,” the statement read.
It added, “Upon receiving the distress alert, vigilant LASTMA Officers mounted an immediate pursuit, successfully intercepted the fleeing vehicle and apprehended the driver before he could escape.”
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The agency said the suspect, alongside the tanker, has been handed over to the State Traffic Department (STD), Area ‘F’ Police Command, Ikeja, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
LASTMA officials also secured the scene of the crash, managed traffic around the area and coordinated recovery operations to minimise disruption to motorists.
According to the statement, fellow dispatch riders at the scene informed the deceased’s family about the tragedy and sympathised with them over the loss.
Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki described the fatal crash as “both heartbreaking and avoidable.”
He urged drivers of tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles to exercise greater caution while using the roads.
“He reiterated the Agency’s unwavering commitment to road safety and passionately appealed to operators of articulated vehicles, tankers and other heavy-duty trucks to exercise the highest degree of professionalism, vigilance and compliance with all traffic regulations,” the statement said.
Bakare-Oki also warned that “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.”
He reaffirmed LASTMA’s commitment to working closely with the Nigeria Police Force and other emergency agencies to ensure swift incident response, safeguard lives and maintain smooth traffic flow across Lagos State.