* Amid injury to 2 pupils
Spontaneous protest, on Tuesday morning, erupted in the Ago Palace way, Okota, area of Lagos after a vehicle being chased by an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) rammed into a tricycle (Keke), killing a pregnant woman and injuring her two children.
The tricycle operator was also killed in the accident,t which occurred on Tuesday morning.
Eyewitnesses claimed that one of the LASTMA officials at Okota roundabout attempted to forcibly take over the steering of a Toyota Sienna vehicle from the driver while in motion.
In the process, the vehicle lost control and rammed into a tricycle on Bayo Oyewale Street.
The pregnant woman was said to be taking her children to school when the accident occurred.
The incident sparked a protest, as an irate mob descended on the LASTMA official.
The timely intervention of a team of policemen saved the official from being lynched, as the officers fired tear gas canisters to disperse the mob.
The policemen also cleared the barricade mounted on the road by the protesters, and whisked away the LASTMA official.
LASTMA explains incident
Concerning the accident at Ago Palace, operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said the driver apprehended for driving in a direction prohibited by Law (One-way) was responsible for the death of the tricyle operator and the pregnant woman.
Traffic Officer Hassan Kehinde of Zone 27, Okota who led the LASTMA patrol team disclosed that a driver of a blue TOYOTA Sienna bus (AKD 944 HN) was apprehended for driving against traffic (One-way) around Ago Palace Way, Lagos.
He disclosed further that a Police man attached with the patrol team volunteered to escort the apprehended vehicle to LASTMA office for proper booking.
“On their way, and in an attempt by the driver to escape, he diverted into Bayo Oyewale Street by Ago round-about and rammed into a fully loaded tricycle”
“While the tricycle operator died instantly, the pregnant woman later died at the hospital while the two injured school children are currently, under Intensive Care Unit” receiving medical attention, LASTMA Kehinde further added.
The escort policeman in the contravened vehicle equally sustained various degrees of injury as a result of the fatal auto crash.
LASTMA’s Kehinde confirmed that the incident sparked off protest as irate mob descended on the escort police officer but with the timely intervention of a team of policemen from Ago/ Okota/Ilasa police stations saved the Police man from being lynched.
LASTMA yard was invaded and valuable items vandalized including vehicles within the premises.
“It is noteworthy to mention that in an attempt to escape, the driver of the Sienna car lost control as a result of reckless driving which eventually resulted into the fatal accident”
The management of the agency, however, commiserated with the families of the deceased, and assured that thorough investigation will be carried out to determine the immediate and remote cause of the accident, and that justice will be served appropriately.