A man, suspected of being a thief, has been found unconscious after being knocked down by a hit-and-run driver in the Abule Egba area of Lagos State on Friday morning.
The man is believed to have broken into a home in the community early that morning. When residents spotted him, he fled the scene, and some of them gave chase.
In his attempt to escape, he ran into the expressway, where he was struck by a speeding vehicle.
On Sunday, November 10, 2022, the man was still lying unconscious by the side of the road, near the Abule Egba bridge.
A trader who identified herself as Ganiyat Enitan, who operates a shop nearby, said she and others had found him there since Friday morning.
According to her, the man was spotted scaling a fence at midnight, which prompted residents to chase him. He tried to cross to the other side of the road but was hit by a vehicle.
Upon closer inspection, it was observed that the man was still breathing, with his legs moving intermittently.
Another witness, who identified himself as Sesan, mentioned that the victim had initially been lying on the bridge's walkway before rolling into the main road.
While the man lay injured, a few officials from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) placed a tire nearby to warn oncoming vehicles.
However, Saheed Adekunle, a transport worker, expressed concern about the man’s safety and urged the state government to remove him from the area.
"If he stays here much longer, he’ll be crushed by a vehicle," he said, highlighting the danger posed by the large trucks that frequently pass through the area.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, for comment were unsuccessful.