LASTMA officer killed by reckless driver at Mile 12

By Abolaji Adebayo

The officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Samson Olawale Akinmade, who was knocked down by a reckless driver at Mile 12/Ketu area of Lagos State, has reportedly died in the hospital.

The deceased who was knocked down on Tuesday died in the early hours of Wednesday.

The General Manager of the agency, Engr. Olajide Oduyoye, said the driver of the blue-black Opel Space Bus with registration number AAA 74 GG knocked down Akinmade at Demurin Street junction inwards Mile 12 while controlling traffic, leaving him with head and body injuries.

He said the officer was immediately rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where he eventually died around 1.00 a.m on Wednesday as a result of the severe injury sustained.

“This event is particularly sad because this was a young, intelligent and dedicated officer employed in the year 2019, and 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 said.

Explaining further, the General Manager said the event occurred while the deceased was directing yellow buses away from the Demurin Street Junction choke point and approached the motorist to park away from the road to pick passengers.

“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.

He expressed the sympathy of colleagues at the Lagos Ministry of Transportation and LASTMA to the entire family of the deceased, assuring that the State Government will ensure that the apprehended driver is prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Oduyoye warned all 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.