A fully-loaded 40-foot container truck has overturned and landed on a tricycle in Lagos, killing a police officer and another passenger.
The tricycle operator and another passenger sustained severe injuries in the accident which occurred on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed the accident in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
Bakare-Oki said the accident occurred on Tuesday along Ijora Causeway, inward Ijora Seven-Up.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the articulated vehicle, while attempting a precarious manoeuvre beneath the Ijora Bridge, lost control and consequently capsized, fatally crushing a tricycle with registration number KJA 364 QN.
“Regrettably, two passengers, a serving police officer inclusive, were killed instantly.
“The remains of the deceased police officer were subsequently conveyed to a morgue at Yaba by security operatives, while relatives of the second victim, a female passenger, hastened to the scene to retrieve the remains of their loved one,” he said.
He said in a valiant rescue operation spearheaded by LASTMA operatives in concert with allied emergency responders, two additional victims, including the tricycle operator, were rescued alive, though they sustained severe bilateral leg fractures.
According to him, the injured persons were taken by the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, to Jimsan Hospital, Gasikiya, Ijora, for urgent medical intervention.
“To avert a descent into chaos, combined detachments of security personnel drawn from Badia, Trinity, and Kirikiri Police Divisions established robust security cordons.
“Their decisive presence pacified irate onlookers, who had attempted to set the containerised truck ablaze, and safeguarded the emergency responders throughout the duration of the rescue operations,” he said.
The LASTMA boss expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the late police officer and the deceased female passenger, describing the tragedy as deeply grievous and most regrettable.
He further offered prayers for the swift recuperation of the two surviving victims who remained under intensive medical care.
Bakare-Oki lauded the combined efforts of emergency and security agencies for their prompt intervention, commendable professionalism, and proactive measures which forestalled further fatalities and prevented escalation of the situation.
“The authority reiterated its earnest admonition to truck operators and articulated vehicle drivers to exercise the highest degree of caution, particularly when negotiating bridges, intersections, and densely trafficked corridors.
“This is to avert the recurrence of such calamitous incidents,” he said.
