A female street sweeper was killed on Saturday morning after a commercial bus driver struck her while reversing illegally on a busy Lagos highway
The incident, which occurred along Meiran Road toward the Iyana Ekoro axis, has reignited concerns over the safety of environmental workers on the city’s increasingly hazardous roads.
According to a statement from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the victim, an operative of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), was performing her routine cleaning duties when she was hit by a blue Ford commercial bus.
Preliminary findings suggest the driver, whose vehicle was laden with crates of bottled beverages, was attempting a grossly negligent reversing manoeuvre on the expressway. The impact of the collision, specifically to the head, resulted in the worker’s immediate death.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the driver reportedly fled the scene in an attempt to evade arrest. However, LASTMA officers on surveillance duty nearby launched a pursuit, successfully intercepting the vehicle and apprehending the suspect.
The intervention came just as a crowd of onlookers began to gather; officials noted that the prompt arrest likely saved the driver from mob action by enraged witnesses. Both the driver and the vehicle have since been handed over to the Meiran Police Division for investigation.
General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said the incident was a distressing and entirely preventable occurrence.
“Reversing on an expressway is not just a traffic offence, it is a blatant contravention of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law that carries terminal consequences.”
Mr Bakare-Oki extended condolences to the victim’s family and colleagues, while reaffirming the agency’s resolve to prosecute reckless driving.
The remains of the deceased were evacuated by LAWMA officials for further procedures.
In other news, two persons lost their lives and three others sustained critical injuries following a multi-vehicle collision involving a Dangote Silo Mixer Truck at Iyana Meiran, Lagos, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed.
LASTMA, in a statement by its Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, said that the accident occurred on Meiran Road, near the Primary Health Centre (PHC), when the mixer truck, reportedly travelling at high speed, experienced a sudden brake failure and veered uncontrollably into a commercial mini-bus (EPP 541 YF) and four tricycles (KTU 360 QN, LND 444 QL, LSR 444 QN, and EKY 122 QP). The impact left the vehicles mangled and trapped passengers within the wreckage.
“Preliminary security findings revealed that the tragic occurrence was triggered by a Dangote Silo Mixer Truck which, while being operated at an inordinately high speed, suffered a sudden brake failure and consequently lost control,” the statement said.
