The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed the death of a Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) operative in a road traffic crash along Meran Road, inward Iyana Ekoro axis of Lagos.
In a statement issued on Saturday via the agency’s official X handle, LASTMA said the incident occurred while the female operative was on duty.
The statement, signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, explained that the victim “was conscientiously engaged in her lawful environmental sanitation duties” when she was struck by a blue Ford commercial bus with registration number BDG 495 YH, which was “recklessly and unlawfully reversing on the expressway.”
“The vehicle forcefully rammed into the unsuspecting LAWMA sweeper who was carrying out routine roadside cleaning.
The severe impact, particularly to the head region, proved instantly fatal,” the statement said.
According to the agency, LASTMA officers on routine traffic surveillance “swiftly mobilised to the scene upon receipt of the distress report.” It added:
“The driver had absconded from the crash site in a desperate attempt to evade accountability.
Officers immediately pursued the fleeing vehicle, successfully apprehended the driver and escorted him and his vehicle back to the scene of the incident.”
The agency said the suspect and the vehicle were later handed over to personnel of the Meiran Police Division for further investigation and prosecution in line with existing laws.
It noted that the prompt action of its officers also “averted a potential breach of public peace, as the suspect was on the verge of being subjected to mob action by enraged members of the public.”
LASTMA added that the remains of the deceased were “respectfully evacuated from the scene by LAWMA officials using an official LAWMA vehicle for further necessary procedures.”
Expressing sorrow over the incident, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the death as “both distressing and preventable,” while offering “heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues and loved ones of the fallen LAWMA operative.
We fervently pray that Almighty God grants them fortitude and divine strength required to endure the irreplaceable loss.”
Bakare-Oki condemned the act of reversing on an expressway, warning that it “constitutes a serious traffic offence and a blatant contravention of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.”
He cautioned motorists against reckless and unlawful driving habits that, according to him, continue to result in avoidable loss of lives.
He also commended the “vigilance, courage and swift response of LASTMA officers involved in the incident,” noting that their action ensured the arrest of the suspect and prevented his escape.
The general manager recalled a similar crash a few days earlier in which a truck collided with four vehicles, killing two persons and critically injuring three others.
He said the driver of the Silo Mixer Truck “absconded from the scene upon realising the gravity of the incident.”