LAGOS, Nigeria – A tragic incident unfolded on Tuesday, May 22, 2024, at Orile bus stop in Iganmu, Lagos, when a soldier was fatally struck by a truck belonging to a logistics company.
The driver, in a desperate bid to escape extortionists targeting commercial bus drivers, ran over the soldier and fled the scene.
Eyewitnesses reported that the driver, seemingly oblivious to the severity of the accident, drove away recklessly.
Fellow soldiers who witnessed the harrowing event gave chase, ultimately apprehending the truck at the Mile 2 bus stop. However, the conductor managed to evade capture.
Shola James, a trader at Orile, recounted the grisly scene. “The truck’s back tyre crushed the soldier’s head. I couldn’t bear to look at the body again,” she said.
Another witness, a vulcanizer, provided further details, noting that the soldier was on his motorcycle when the truck hit him, killing him instantly.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin clarified the police’s involvement in the aftermath.
“After the incident, the DPO of Orile Police Station and his men visited the scene and saw the soldier’s body. The soldiers returned with the truck and driver but took them and the soldier’s body back to their barracks,” he stated.
The driver of the truck has not been handed over to the police, leaving questions about the next steps in this tragic case.
