A suspected hit-and-run driver struck and killed two male travelers, Yahaya Suleiman and Emeka, knocking them off the overhead bridge at the Kara Market on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Monday when the driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed into three travelers waiting for a commercial bus. A third pedestrian, identified only as Ishola, is currently hospitalized and fighting for his life.
Issa, a pure water seller who witnessed the incident, recounted the tragic event. “The driver was speeding, and I think he lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the three people who were waiting by the roadside to board a bus. The impact of the hit knocked two of the three travelers off the bridge. The driver sped off immediately after.”
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident on Tuesday, revealing that Suleiman and Emeka, who were knocked off the bridge, died in the hospital. “They were taken to the Lagos State Emergency Clinic at the old toll gate in the Ojota Area of Lagos State. The two travelers who fell off the bridge were confirmed dead minutes after they were rushed to the hospital,” Odutola stated.
She added, “The driver was believed to have lost control of his vehicle before ramming into the three travelers who were waiting to board a vehicle on the bridge. The third traveler, Ishola, sustained serious injuries and is still in the hospital.”
The corpses of the victims have been taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in the Sagamu area of Ogun State for preservation and autopsy. Authorities are making efforts to trace the families of the deceased to inform them about the incident. Efforts are also underway to identify and arrest the driver responsible for the hit-and-run.
This tragic event is not an isolated incident. Between January and June 2024, at least four pedestrians have been killed by suspected hit-and-run drivers on major highways in Ogun State. In January 2024, a Nigerian Police Force Inspector named Bulus Joel was killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Earlier this month, a 22-year-old traveler, Elizabeth James, was also killed after being knocked down on the Sagamu-Benin Expressway.
