The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has refuted allegations circulating on social media that its operatives are responsible for a dead body found hanging by the gate of an estate along the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway.
LASTMA general manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, addressed the rumours, stating unequivocally that the deceased’s vehicle was not impounded by LASTMA officers.
According to Bakare-Oki, the body was discovered early hours of Thursday, July 11, by passersby, who immediately reported the incident to the police at Shagamu road.
Witnesses at the scene provided varying accounts of the deceased’s identity, with some suggesting he was dressed like a motorcyclist (Okada rider) and others speculating he was a tricyclist (Marwa rider).
There was also speculation that the body had been staged to appear as a suicide, given that the victim’s feet were touching the ground.
However, no one could definitively identify the deceased among the many Okada and Marwa operators who visited the scene.
Bakare-Oki expressed sympathy to the deceased’s family and condemned those spreading unverified reports.
“It is unfortunate that the incident occurred by an estate gate along the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway,” he said, urging the public to verify information before sharing it.
The LASTMA general manager also encouraged motorists to seek clarification on traffic-related matters through the agency’s newly commissioned toll-free call centre at 080000527862.
The director of public affairs and enlightenment department, LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq stated that the body of the deceased was subsequently removed by the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), Yaba, Lagos.
Source: The Nation
