Hit-and-run driver kills two on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
Yahaya Suleiman and Emeka, two male travellers, were struck and killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver who also knocked them off the overhead bridge at the Kara Market on the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, the driver lost control of his car and struck three passengers who were standing in queue for a commercial bus.The third pedestrian, only known as Ishola, is battling for his life in the hospital right now.
Two of the three pedestrians who were struck by the driver and fell off the bridge as a result were Issa, a pure water vendor who saw the incident and spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday.
"I believe the driver lost control of the vehicle and smashed into the three people who were waiting by the roadside to board a bus," Issa stated, citing the driver's speed. Two of the three travellers were knocked off the bridge by the impact of the hit. The driver then quickly drove away.
The incident was confirmed to PUNCH Online on Tuesday by Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command. It was disclosed that Suleiman and Emeka, who were knocked off the bridge, passed away in the hospital.
They were brought to the Lagos State Emergency Clinic in the Ojota Area of Lagos State, she said, at the former toll gate. Shortly after they were taken to the hospital, it was determined that the two tourists who had fallen off the bridge were dead.The three travellers who were waiting to board a vehicle on the bridge were struck by the driver, who is thought to have lost control of his vehicle. Ishola, the third traveller, suffered grave injuries. He remains hospitalised.
"The victims' bodies have been transported to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in the Ogun State town of Sagamu for postmortem and preservation. We are attempting to locate the deceased's family in order to notify them of the incident. Additionally, we're attempting to locate and apprehend the driver.
On major highways in Ogun State, at least four pedestrians were killed by suspected hit-and-run drivers between January and June of 2024.
According to reports, a suspected hit-and-run driver on the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway killed Bulus Joel, an Inspector with the Nigerian Police Force, in January 2024.
Elizabeth James, a 22-year-old traveller, died earlier this month after being struck by a vehicle on the Sagamu-Benin Motorway.