Police probe alleged killing of three by teenage driver

A Nigeria policeman

The Lagos State Police Command has said the teenager responsible for the fatal crash at the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gate in Lagos State in the early hours of Monday will be invited for questioning after he recovers in the hospital.

The accident, which occurred around 1:00 am on Monday, involved two cars carrying approximately eight people. Three young individuals however died on the spot.

A social media user, Dr Love #Drweloveu, who shared details of the incident on Monday via X, said, “18-year-old driver killed 3 of his friends in the accident. Police arrested the remaining 2 survivors. The driver was about 18 years old and without a driver’s licence.”

“Two died on the spot, and one passed away a few minutes after being pulled from the wrecked car,” Dr Love reported.

According to him, both drivers emerged unscathed from the wreckage.

He said, “The two drivers from both cars came out unharmed, with no scratch on their bodies. They came out hale and hearty, while their friends lay dead.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday, said one of the drivers who caused the crash would be interrogated after being discharged from the hospital.

He said, “Everybody will come and write their statement, especially the one at fault, to say what happened. We don’t have any issue with the driver who was the victim, he has not done anything against the law. It is the driver who caused the accident we are more interested in.”

The aftermath of the accident and the handling of the situation by the police who arrived at the scene were reported to have drawn criticism from onlookers.

Dr Love, describing the scene, said, “Instead of helping, the police who arrived at the scene handcuffed the survivors, acting like they didn’t care about the bodies on the ground.

“People in the area, including elders, couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They begged the police to focus on taking the dead to the hospital or mortuary instead of arresting those who had just lost their friends.

“After many complaints, the police finally let them go, and the crowd began trying to help, searching for the families of those who had died. It was a deeply sad night, filled with loss and a feeling that things should have been handled differently. ”

The police spokesperson however said nothing of such occurred other than efforts made by the policemen to ensure that the teenager got access to medical treatment.

“We went with him to write down the statement on what happened, but we discovered that he was not feeling fine and we took him to the hospital like it was expected and we called his family to stay with him till he is expected to return to write the statement. If anybody twists the narrative, they are just saying their own.”

PUNCH Online reports that the dispatch rider at the scene provided a harrowing account, stating that one of them was still breathing when he brought him out but stopped breathing after about 10 minutes.

Hundeyin had earlier reacted to the report in a statement on X where he noted that “The police arrived at the scene and took occupants of the vehicles to the hospital. Unfortunately, three were certified dead and the police took their bodies to Yaba mortuary.”