An unidentified man lost his life after being hit by a speeding vehicle while attempting to cross the highway at Awoyokun, heading towards the Onipanu area of Lagos State.
The driver narrowly escaped death in the incident.
This incident was confirmed in a statement on Saturday night by the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
According to Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA’s Emergency Response Team was alerted at 8:45 p.m. through distress calls made via the toll-free emergency numbers 767 and 112.
“We received multiple reports of a serious accident and immediately activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans,” he said.
The agency’s Cobra Response Team was dispatched from Onipanu and reached the scene within three minutes, at 8:48 p.m.
Initial observations revealed that a Toyota Venza, bearing the registration number EKY 839 HU, had been traveling at an excessive speed.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control and struck a male pedestrian attempting to cross the highway,” Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu added.
The impact proved fatal for the pedestrian, who succumbed to his injuries before the arrival of emergency responders.
“The victim had already been taken away from the scene when we arrived,” Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu reported.
He also noted that the situation quickly escalated as local miscreants vandalized the vehicle involved and subsequently set it ablaze.
“The environment became volatile, necessitating the intervention of law enforcement to prevent further escalation,” he explained.
LASEMA’s response team promptly informed the Nigerian Police Force about the incident and the precarious state of the area.
“We’re now waiting for the arrival of a specialized recovery truck to clear the damaged vehicle from the highway,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He emphasized the urgency of restoring order and ensuring safe recovery operations amid the ongoing tension at the scene.
“Recovery operations are still underway, and we are coordinating with the police to maintain safety and normalcy,” concluded the statement, assuring that updates would be provided as the situation develops.
