A truck, on Saturday, crushed an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Mrs Folashade Arogundade, 33, to death.
The officer was said to be one of the personnel deployed in Apapa to ensure the evacuation of articulated trucks from the road with a view to restoring sanity and orderliness in the area.
It was learnt that Arogundade, who was overseeing the evacuation, was hit by a truck that was put on the reverse gear by its driver.
The incident was said to have occurred around 4.45pm on Saturday.
A source told PUNCH Metro that when the driver of the truck realised that he had knocked down someone, he took to his heels.
The source said the officer’s colleagues took her to the General Hospital, Apapa, where she was confirmed dead.
The source stated, “I saw when the truck hit her while it was reversing. The back of the vehicle knocked her down and the back tyres crushed her.
“Before her colleagues could notice what had happened, the driver of the truck had escaped from the area. Some of her colleagues took her to hospital and some, who came back later, told us that she was dead before she got to the hospital.”
The Public Relations Officer, LASTMA, Mr Mahmud Hassan, who confirmed the incident, lamented that Arogundade was killed while performing her lawful duty of implementing the Federal Government’s directive of getting rid of articulated vehicles in Apapa.
According to him, the incident was caused by the nonchalant attitude of the truck driver, adding that the truck had been taken to the police station, while investigation was ongoing to determine the whereabouts of the fleeing driver.
Hassan added that the 33-year-old Arogundade was survived by her two-year-old daughter, husband, mother and grandmother, adding that the husband works in a local government council in the state.
He said, “The officer was killed around 4.30pm on Saturday around the Area ‘B’ Police Station in Apapa, where she was performing her lawful duty of trying to implement the directive of the government that LASTMA and other security agencies should get rid of articulated trucks in Apapa so that sanity and orderliness can return to the area.
“An articulated vehicle reversed and hit her where she was performing her lawful duty. The vehicle rammed into her and pushed her to the ground and the back tyres climbed on her.
“She was immediately rushed to the General Hospital, Apapa, by her colleagues, but the medical personnel on duty confirmed that she was brought in dead. Her body was deposited in the General Hospital, Lagos Island’s morgue on Saturday.”
The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr Musa Olawale, condoled with the family of the victim, adding that 30 officers of the agency had been assaulted between the first quarter and May this year.
Olawale, who spoke through Hassan, warned motorists and members of the public against assaulting or doing anything that would jeopardise the lives of traffic officers.
He added that if anyone had anything against any traffic officer, they should not take the law into their hands but forward their complaints to the agency, which would look into such a matter and deal with it accordingly.
