Hit-and-run driver kills dispatch rider in Lagos

A yet-to-be-identified dispatch rider has been killed in a suspected hit-and-run accident that occurred on the Dorman-long Bridge in Lagos State.

PUNCH Online learnt that the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday.

Our correspondent further learnt that efforts by road safety officials and other road users to arrest the suspected driver proved unsuccessful as he allegedly sped off.

In a minute and fourteen-second video shared on the X handle @Gidi_Traffic on Tuesday, a male motorist was heard calling for the driver’s arrest while trailing a car.

When all attempts to capture the number plate of the vehicle proved abortive, the motorist attempted to overtake  and capture the driver’s face.

When he got to the side of the suspected hit-and-run vehicle, the motorist, using his phone camera, called out the suspect while accusing him of crushing someone to death.

Our correspondent observed that the  driver maintained a straight face while feigning ignorance of his actions.

The motorist could be heard partly saying, “This driver has just killed somebody, and he is running away. I can’t see his number plate clearly, but he just killed someone. He is running away.”

Confirming the incident to PUNCH Online on Tuesday, the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Lagos State Traffic Maintenance Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, said the dispatch rider died on the spot.

He said, “It involved a hit-and-run vehicle and a dispatch rider. But unfortunately, the dispatch rider could not survive it. He died instantly.

“According to the information from the eyewitnesses, the dispatch rider was reckless on the road. He was said to have run into a vehicle that was at top speed on the Dorman-long Bridge, inward passage.

“Our men, including those that witnessed the accident, tried to get the driver arrested. We were unable to get the number plate of the vehicle because there were a lot of similar cars on the road.

“And we cannot arrest a Toyota car because the driver was driving a Toyota car. If we are unable to get the registration number automatically, we can’t get him. All efforts to trace him proved abortive. The driver ran away.”

The spokesperson for LASTMA further said the accident caused mild traffic following the blockage of roads by other dispatch riders who protested the killing of their colleague.

Taofiq added, “As a result of this, in solidarity for the deceased, all the dispatch riders plying that Ikorodu Road gathered and attempted to block the road. But we have our men trying to control the situation.”

In November 2023, another dispatch rider died after he was reportedly knocked down by a hit-and-run driver on Jankara Bridge in the state. This rider was said to be a worker for one of the logistics companies and was reportedly on his way to make deliveries before he was killed.

Rather than saving the rider after the accident, those who witnessed it were accused of opening up the victim’s delivery box to steal the goods.

A similar accident occurred in 2023 when a hit-and-run driver allegedly disappeared after allegedly crashing a dispatch rider to death around Charly Boy Bus Stop, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos State.

The victims were believed to be on their way to a destination in the state when the fleeing driver knocked them down.