Soldier, motorcycle rider die in crash

An army sergeant, Fidelis Nnachetam, and a motorcycle rider, Bolaji Afolabi, met cruel fate on Sunday after a fatal crash on Igbosere Road, Lagos Island, Lagos State.

The Drum Online learnt that Nnachetam was riding a Manhindra motorcycle on the road when he collided with Afolabi’s Bajaj motorcycle around 1.30am.

The men were said to have fallen off their respective motorcycles and somersaulted several times from the impact of the collision.

While Afolabi died on the spot, the sergeant, who sustained severe injuries, was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by a doctor.

A source said the sergeant was identified through his identity card.

He said, “The two men were coming from opposite directions when they crashed into each other at an intersection on the road. I don’t know the cause of the accident, but maybe the harmatthan fog prevented them from seeing far.

“The commercial motorcycle rider, Afolabi, died on the spot and his body was deposited in the Lagos Island General Hospital mortuary. The soldier’s corpse was deposited in the Military Hospital, Awolowo Way. The soldier was identified through his ID card.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, who confirmed the incident, said efforts were on to identify the formation of the military official.

Oti said, “On January 7, 2018, we got information that a fatal accident occurred along Igbosere Road and it involved an unregistered Bajaj motorcycle and a Mahindra motorcycle, with number plate, KJA 749 QH, ridden by one Bolaji Afolabi and Fidelis Nnachetam, respectively. The two motorcycles had a crash, leading to the death of the two men. We are making efforts to establish the formation of the deceased sergeant.

“While condoling with the families of the deceased, the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, wishes to appeal to motorists and motorcyclists to always exercise caution on the road. We must cultivate the habit of patience, while also complying with the state traffic rules.”

In a related development, the Federal Road Safety Corps said four persons died, while 13 sustained injuries in an accident that occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Saturday.

The Sector Commander of the FRSC in Ogun State, Mr. Clement Oladele, told our correspondent that the accident happened in front of Christopher University on the expressway around 7.25pm.

Oladele said two vehicles and 23 people were involved in the accident that claimed four lives, leaving 13 injured.

The sector commander said a commercial bus with number plate, AKK 450 YY, which was heading for Ibadan, Oyo State, lost control and rammed into a Toyota Sienna marked, FST 370 DC.

“The corpses have been deposited in the Fakoya Mortuary, Sagamu, while the injured persons were taken to Broad Life Hospital, Olowotedo and Idera Hospital, Sagamu,” he said.

The sector commander advised motorists to be cautious.

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