By BANNERNEWS Reporter
A dispatch rider was killed in a tragic road crash along the Motorways axis inward Estate, Alapere, Lagos, sparking tension that nearly degenerated into mob violence.
The accident involved an empty tanker owned by NIPCO and a motorcycle operated by the rider, identified as an AOC operator.
Eyewitness accounts and preliminary findings indicate that the tanker driver, allegedly speeding, rammed into the moving motorcycle, killing the rider on the spot.
The incident triggered outrage among fellow dispatch riders, who quickly mobilised at the scene and attempted to lynch the tanker driver.
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) responded swiftly, intervening to prevent the situation from escalating.
The operatives rescued the injured tanker driver from the mob and handed him over to the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) for urgent medical attention.
Police operatives from Alausa Division were also deployed to disperse the agitated crowd and restore order.
Reacting, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, describing the incident as painful and avoidable.
He warned tanker drivers and other motorists against reckless driving, stressing that excessive speed remains a leading cause of road accidents in Lagos, adding that the vehicles involved have been handed over to the police as investigations continue.
