LASTMA Denies Responsibility for Body Found Hanging on Tree

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has stated that its operatives are not responsible for the dead body found hanging by the gate of an estate along the Lagos-Sagamu Expressway.

LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, made this clarification in a statement issued by Mr. Taofiq Adebayo, the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, on Friday.

Bakare-Oki refuted the rumours circulating on social media, which suggested that the deceased’s vehicle had been impounded by LASTMA officers.

He confirmed that the body was discovered by passersby early Thursday morning and was immediately reported to the police at Shagamu Road.

“Several speculations were made by sympathisers present at the scene. Some said he was dressed like a motorcyclist (okada rider), while others speculated he was a tricyclist (Marwa rider). However, no one could definitively identify him as either an okada or Marwa rider from the numerous operators who visited the scene,” Bakare-Oki explained.

He described the incident as unfortunate and urged those spreading unfounded reports to verify their information before disseminating it.

“Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been evacuated by the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, Yaba, Lagos,” he added.

Bakare-Oki also expressed sympathy to the family of the deceased.