Road carnage: Hit-and-run drivers leave trail of deaths, grieving families

Hit-and-run collisions are causing deep grief and hardship across Nigeria, as unnamed individuals flee the scenes of accidents, leaving families devastated by sudden fatalities and debilitating injuries. On November 25, 2024, motorists and pedestrians on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stunned by an eerie sight at the Magboro section of the highway.

At sunset, a woman dressed in a blue dress was struck and left lying motionless in the road, her belongings scattered at the scene. Eyewitnesses described the woman as a hairdresser or salon worker, based on scattered haircare products and extensions found near her. Despite frantic attempts to revive her, the unconscious victim, believed to be in her 30s, succumbed to her injuries.

Her identity remained unknown, but her presence at a nearby church camp suggested she and her family lived in the area. Within 20 minutes, a commercial bus driver agreed to transport the victim to the nearest hospital in Ibafo, and other onlookers offered assistance. The woman's fate remains uncertain, as those who helped her could not be reached to confirm her condition.

In a separate incident, the life of 22-year-old Mayowa Afinni, a first-class graduate of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, was cut short on September 12, 2024. Afinni, also known as Mayorwhiz, worked multiple jobs to support himself and his family after completing his studies in September 2024. On September 12, Afinni was riding a Qlink dispatch motorcycle when he was involved in a fatal collision with a red Lexus ES 350 on the MKO Abiola Stadium in the Kuto area of Abeokuta.

The Lexus driver, Ebenezer Oluwaseyi, fled the scene, and the accident was reported to the police. Oluwaseyi appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, property damage, reckless driving, and driving without a valid license. The judge granted Oluwaseyi bail and adjourned the case until September 28 for further proceedings, with Oluwaseyi's arrest providing some sense of justice for Afinni's grieving family.