LASTMA officer

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

Pandemonium ensued yesterday along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Lagos State, when a female banker with Standard IBTC Bank, one Yinka Johnson, in a bid to escape arrest for violating road traffic rules, crushed 33-year-old Hammed Balogun, an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), to death.

According to eyewitness account, the LASTMA official alongside his colleagues were trying to intercept the banker who was driving one way when she allegedly crushed him to death.

Confirming the story, the General Manager LASTMA, Engr. Babatunde Edu, said the deceased was carrying out his official assignment at his duty post at Mega City, Ajah area of Lagos before he met his untimely death.

He said the driver fled the scene after crushing the LASTMA official to death, adding that she was later arrested with the help of the Area J Commander, ACP Felix Vwamhi.

He said; "The suspect whose identity was revealed by the Auto Inspector device as Yinka Johnson a staff of IBTC drove in a Green Land Rover Jeep SUV with registration Plate number CY 276 LSD against traffic from Mega chicken inward toll Plaza two.

"She was intercepted by three officials of LASTMA led by the Head of Operations, Mr Quayum Asafa for traffic violation and in a drama like scene, Johnson started driving recklessly in other to escape contravention and in the process ran over the officer.

"The deceased was rushed down to Germaine Hospital where he later died as a result of injury sustained from the accident while the corpse was deposited at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja for autopsy."