LASTMA official dies after being knocked down by runaway driver

An officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) identified as Samsom Akinmade has been killed on duty in Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos.

The General Manager of the agency, Engr. Olajide Oduyoye, disclosed on Thursday, that the deceased who sustained head and body injuries was knocked down on Tuesday, but was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital where he was declared dead in the early hours of Wednesday.

Mr Oduyoye explained that the officer who was directing yellow buses away from the Demurin Street Junction choke point had approached the motorist to park away from the road to pick passengers.

He was hit by a driver of a blue-black Opel Space Bus with registration number AAA 74 GG at Demurin Street junction inwards Mile 12.

Read also: Wife of LASTMA officer killed by policeman demands scholarship for children

“The driver assumed that he would be apprehended for obstructing traffic and sped off, knocking down the officer against the concrete culvert on the service lane and dragging him for about seven metres. He tried to escape through a street which turned out to be closed but was eventually arrested and handed over to the Police at Alapere along with his vehicle”, Oduyoye explained.

The agency on its Twitter handle quoted the General Manager as saying “This event is particularly sad because this was a young, intelligent and dedicated officer employed in the year 2019, was very committed to his job but has been cut down in his prime by a careless and lawless driver thereby depriving his family, the government agency, Lagos and Nigeria of a future leader in the making.”

He sympathized with the colleagues at the Lagos Ministry of Transportation and LASTMA and with the family of the deceased, while pledging that the State Government will ensure that the apprehended driver faces justice.

Oduyoye also warned motorists to desist from violating the State Traffic Law in order to prevent unnecessary accidents and deaths on Lagos roads, urging commuters to exercise patience at all times.

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