The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) intervened on Monday in a serious road traffic accident involving a Toyota Highlander Jeep (APP 150 EY) and a painted T4 commercial bus (KJA 328 XH), which occurred in the early hours at Volkswagen, inward Mile 2, Lagos.

Preliminary findings revealed that the tragedy occurred when the Highlander Jeep, travelling at an excessive and perilous speed, lost control and collided with great force into a stubborn commercial bus that was illegally stationed along the roadside while indiscriminately picking up passengers at the said location. The driver of the Highlander Jeep perished instantly at the scene of impact.

Responding with remarkable swiftness to the accident, LASTMA personnel promptly secured the accident scene, extricated the lifeless body from the mangled wreckage, and formally handed over the remains to operatives of the Ojo Police Division. The police thereafter conveyed the deceased to the C-Niger Mortuary, Abule Ado (inward Mile 2), for preservation.

In a statement, Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, said that

LASTMA officers ensured the restoration of traffic fluidity along the severely gridlocked corridor, while simultaneously supervising the evacuation of all accident-affected vehicles, which were subsequently towed to the Ojo Police Division for further investigation.

General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, praying that the Almighty grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Decrying the persistent scourge of reckless driving and indiscriminate roadside passenger pickups, Bakare-Oki admonished commercial bus operators to confine all passenger activities strictly to designated bus stops provided by the government, thereby safeguarding lives and maintaining order.

He issued a stern caution to motorists against speeding, emphasising the necessity of ensuring that vehicles, particularly their braking systems, are in sound and optimal working condition before embarking on any journey within or beyond Lagos State.

“The sanctity of human life must never be compromised by recklessness on our highways. The Lagos State Government, through LASTMA, shall continue to intensify enforcement and sustain public enlightenment campaigns to forestall preventable tragedies of this nature,” the GM declared.