Fatal Collision on Oshodi-Apapa Road Claims Two Lives

A motor park tout and a truck driver lost their lives in a tragic road accident in Lagos on Thursday.

According to eyewitness accounts, the tout attempted to extort money from the truck driver at Cele Bus Stop along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway when he was struck by another truck.

The unfortunate event took place in the early hours of Thursday when the tout, whose name has not been disclosed, reportedly stepped into the path of an approaching truck in an effort to halt the driver.

Witnesses stated that the driver of the truck, identified by the plate number T-392 LA, paused momentarily in the roadway to negotiate with the tout.

Sadly, a second truck traveling at high speed was unable to stop in time and crashed into the stationary vehicle, resulting in the tout being trapped underneath, while the driver became lodged behind the steering wheel.

Onlookers described the situation as chaotic as bystanders hurried to help the trapped driver.

Despite attempts to rescue him, emergency responders pronounced the driver dead at the scene.

Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), confirmed the occurrence, explaining that the collision involved two fully loaded 40-foot container trucks on the Cele inbound axis of the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway, specifically at Mile 2, Lagos.

Bakare-Oki mentioned that the heartbreaking incident resulted in the fatalities of two individuals.

He noted that one of the deceased was identified as the driver of one of the trucks, while the other was a suspected tout whose identity could not be immediately verified at the time of the emergency response.

"The crash left the driver trapped within the steering compartment of his vehicle, requiring meticulous technical rescue efforts by the Authority’s Rescue and Recovery Team.

"LASTMA personnel carried out detailed procedures to recover the driver’s body, while the corpse of the suspected tout was retrieved from under one of the trucks following an exhaustive search under strict safety measures.

"The operation was conducted in coordination with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), whose specialized interventions greatly aided the rescue.

"Security support was provided by officers from the Nigeria Police Force assigned to the Ilasa Police Division to maintain effective perimeter control.

"Personnel from the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit promptly handled the removal of both victims once alerted by LASTMA.

"After the completion of on-site operations, LASTMA formally transferred the case to the Ilasa Police Division, who have the responsibility of investigating and determining the immediate and broader causes of the incident," he elaborated.

In the aftermath, the General Manager expressed his heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims, calling the incident a stark reminder of the dangers posed by heavily trafficked freight routes.