A commercial dispatch rider has lost his life in a fatal road accident involving a container-laden articulated trailer at the Ilupeju Bypass area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, describing the crash as tragic and unfortunate.
According to the agency, preliminary findings showed that the dispatch rider was involved in a struggle for right of way with a commercial minibus, popularly known as “Korope,” before losing control of his motorcycle. He subsequently crashed into a moving trailer along the busy Ilupeju corridor.
The impact of the collision left the rider with severe injuries, leading to his immediate death at the scene.
LASTMA stated that its operatives monitoring traffic around the Mushin axis quickly responded after receiving distress alerts about the incident.
Officials were deployed to the scene, where they carried out rescue and traffic management operations to prevent further disruption and restore vehicular movement in the area.
According to the statement, the remains of the deceased rider were recovered from beneath the articulated trailer before traffic officials implemented extensive diversion and control measures to ease congestion caused by the crash.
The agency added that officials of the State Environmental Health Management Unit, SEHMU, were contacted due to the severity of the incident and the obstruction caused by spilled contents from the trailer. SEHMU officials later evacuated the corpse from the scene.
LASTMA said its personnel worked alongside other emergency responders throughout the rescue and evacuation process to maintain order, ensure public safety, and restore free flow of traffic around the axis.
The agency further disclosed that the damaged dispatch motorcycle and the articulated trailer involved in the accident had been handed over to officers of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and possible prosecution in line with traffic and criminal laws.
Security personnel from the Ilupeju Police Division also provided support during the operation.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, sympathised with the family of the deceased and urged motorists and commercial riders to exercise caution on the roads.
He warned against reckless competition for right of way, noting that such behaviour often leads to avoidable tragedies.
“The essence of the recently concluded stakeholders’ engagement with courier and dispatch riders was fundamentally to sensitize and further educate operators on the imperative of safety consciousness, strict compliance with government prescribed speed limits and adherence to extant traffic regulations in order to avert needless loss of lives on our roads,” he said.
