A dispatch rider was feared dead on Wednesday after he was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver reportedly driving against traffic on the Magboro Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The tragic incident occurred around 5 p.m., according to eyewitnesses at the scene.
Residents and sympathisers who arrived shortly after the accident moved the victim’s body from the middle of the road to the sidewalk and covered it with a cloth.
Several dispatch riders were also seen gathered at the scene, expressing frustration over what they described as poor traffic regulation and reckless driving along the busy expressway.
Eyewitnesses described the incident as sudden and unfortunate, blaming the increasing disregard for traffic rules by some motorists.
One eyewitness, identified simply as Michael, said two residents helped remove the body from the road to avoid further accidents.
“When I got there, two people had already carried the body away from the road,” he said.
“I asked a vulcaniser nearby what happened, and he explained that the driver hit the rider and immediately sped off.”
According to him, the vulcaniser said people around the area could not pursue the fleeing driver because there was no available vehicle at the time.
“He made it clear that it was a car that hit the rider, not a trailer,” Michael added.
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A fellow dispatch rider at the scene, who preferred not to be identified, condemned the level of recklessness among motorists and also criticised delays in emergency response.
A police officer at the scene, who spoke anonymously, disclosed that the victim’s family had already been contacted through his phone.
The officer explained that by the time he arrived, sympathisers had already moved the body away from the expressway.
“We have contacted his family through his phone. One of the dispatch riders called them, and they said they were on their way,” the officer said.
“I’m waiting for the family to arrive so we can move the body to the mortuary.”
As of the time of filing this report, the victim’s family had yet to arrive at the scene, while neither the police nor the Federal Road Safety Corps had issued an official statement regarding the incident.
