Two dead, others injured as LASTMA, police, driver ‘drag’ steering wheel in Lagos

Two persons died on Tuesday while two others were hospitalised following a scuffle that involved officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), a police officer and a driver in the Ago Palace Way area of Isolo, Lagos.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in Lagos, confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.

Mr Hundeyin did not say how the incident happened but said that a pregnant woman and a tricycle driver lost their lives.

But witnesses disagreed with the official, saying four persons died in the scuffle.

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According to witnesses, one of the law enforcement officers was “dragging” the steering wheel of an alleged traffic offender when the car rammed into passersby.

“The LASTMA officials chased the driver. One of the law enforcement officers was dragging the steering wheel with the driver, and in the course of that, the driver lost control and rammed into some passersby. About four people died,” one Usman told the Punch newspaper.

Also, a witness who spoke with The Cable said those killed in the incident included a pregnant woman and two children.

“The traffic offender and the police were struggling for the steering wheel. They both lost control of the car, which ran into school children aged four and six who were being picked up from their home to school by a tricycle (Keke) rider,” the witness said.

READ ALSO: LASTMA to arrest skitmakers, filmmaker, over unauthorised use of uniforms

“The police officers had chased the car from the major road into a residential street just a street away from mine.

“Unfortunately, the car crashed into the stationary tricycle, the kids waiting to board the tricycle and the driver of the Keke. They all died on the spot.”

The spokesperson for LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, did not respond to calls as of the time of filing this report.

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