A pregnant woman and a tricycle operator were on Tuesday killed, while two school children sustained serious injuries in an accident that occurred in the Okota area of Lagos State.
THE WHISTLER gathered that while the tricycle operator died instantly, the pregnant woman died later at the hospital.
The two school children who are said to be the children of the pregnant woman are currently in an intensive care unit of an unnamed hospital.
The incident happened when the driver of a blue Toyota Sienna bus (AKD 944 HN) was apprehended by the operatives of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) for a traffic infraction and tried to escape.
While being escorted to the LASTMA office by a policeman attached to a patrol team for proper booking, the driver attempted to escape by diverting into Bayo Oyewale Street, by Ago Round-about. He lost control and rammed into a tricycle that the victims were onboard.
Following the accident, angry residents were said to have erected bonfires, disrupting vehicular movement within the area.
Confirming the incident, the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, said in a statement that the agency’s yard was invaded and valuable items vandalized, including vehicles within the premises.
“The incident sparked off protest as irate mob descended on the escort Police Officer but with the timely intervention of a team of Police men from Ago/ Okota/Ilasa Police Stations saved the Police man from being lynched,” the statement stated.
“The management of the agency commiserate with the families of the deceased, and assured that thorough investigation will be carried out to determine the immediate and remote cause of the accident and that justice will be served appropriately,” it added.
