2 months ago
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A tricyclist in Lagos State has tragically taken his own life after unsuccessful attempts to reclaim his confiscated tricycle from government officials in the Ikorodu area.
According to PUNCH Metro, the tricyclist was intercepted by officials for an alleged violation while on his way to a destination. The officials then seized his tricycle and transported it to their office near Jubilee Estate along the Ikorodu-Sagamu Expressway.
Despite repeated efforts to retrieve his tricycle, the operator’s attempts were in vain.
According to witnesses, in an apparent act of desperation and protest, the tricyclist hanged himself from a tree in front of the compound housing the offices of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and Vehicle Inspection Officers, located near Jubilee Estate.
Prince Excel of Aiyekooto Reporters, in a video shared on WhatsApp, described the event as unfortunate, revealing that the man committed suicide early on Thursday morning.
“This is early Thursday morning, July 11, 2024, an unfortunate situation just happened right now. A man just committed suicide on the major road at the Jubilee Estate in front of the LASTMA gate on the Sagamu Road. This is quite unfortunate,” Excel said.
In the video, a corpse is seen hanging from a tree with a rope around the neck. A note attached to the video suggested that the tricyclist’s actions were driven by his frustration over being unable to reclaim his tricycle.
The note read, “A tricyclist, Keke Marwa rider, just committed suicide. He hanged himself in front of LASTMA’s office at Odogunyan in Ikorodu. Reportedly, his Keke was taken from him. He begged them (for) so long but they refused. So, the man decided to hang himself in front of their (office). So sad.”
When contacted, LASTMA spokesperson Taofiq Adebayo denied any involvement in the incident, stating that no tricycle had been impounded by officers in that area.
“We don’t know anything about the incident. And within our premises, we don’t have any tricycle impounded by any of our officers in that area. So, LASTMA is not involved in anything of such, and we don’t know anything about the hanging of the dead body,” Adebayo said.
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