By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
A policeman and a female passenger lost their lives on Tuesday when a container-laden truck crushed a commercial tricycle in the Ijora area of Lagos.
The tragic crash, which occurred under the Ijora Bridge, also left two other occupants of the tricycle, including the rider, critically injured. They were rushed to Jimsan Hospital, Gasikiya, Ijora, for treatment.
According to eyewitnesses, the 40-foot container truck with registration number XP 368 AKD was negotiating a maneuver when it lost control and fell on the tricycle marked KJA 364 QN.
General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed the incident, noting that the policeman died instantly while the female victim was confirmed dead at the hospital.
Bakare-Oki said the remains of the officer had been taken to the Yaba morgue by security operatives, while relatives of the female victim retrieved her body at the scene.
He added that LASTMA operatives, supported by emergency responders, extricated the injured passengers who sustained severe leg fractures. Ambulance services were immediately deployed to evacuate the wounded.
The crash sparked anger among residents and passersby, some of whom attempted to set the truck ablaze. However, security personnel from Badia, Trinity, and Kirikiri divisions quickly intervened, creating security cordons to restore calm and protect rescue workers.
Bakare-Oki expressed condolences to the families of the victims, describing the tragedy as “deeply grievous and most regrettable.”
The incident adds to a worrying rise in road crashes in Lagos. At least nine people have been killed and seven others injured in six separate accidents across the state within the last three weeks, including a single crash that claimed six lives.