A 32-year-old dispatch rider, Emmanuel Jegede, has died after suspected thugs allegedly pushed him off his motorcycle while trying to extort him on Ikotun-Idimu Road in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The incident happened on Wednesday around 10am after Emmanuel finished a delivery and was heading to another place.
When he reached the Alhaja end of the road, two suspected thugs who were waiting to extort him suddenly pushed him while he was riding.
An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said Emmanuel crashed into the median and died instantly.
"The rider was on Ikotun-Idimu Road, and when he got to Alhaja, two thugs who often hang around the junction tried to stop him and then pushed him while he was moving.
“He lost control of the motorcycle, veered off the road, and hit the median. By the time people rushed to help, he had already died," the source said.
Another eyewitness mentioned that earlier, Emmanuel had a minor bump with a tricycle rider after coming out from a street nearby.
Residents and some youths, including the thugs, reportedly helped to settle that issue.
But then the thugs allegedly asked Emmanuel for money for their help. The eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said Emmanuel told them he had no cash, which made the thugs angry.
He said, "The man had just completed a delivery and was heading to another location. Earlier, he had mistakenly hit a tricycle rider while coming out of a street. People, including those boys, settled the matter.
"After they resolved it, the boys wanted him to give them money for helping him. He said he did not have any money. Then they crossed to the other side of the road and waited for him before pushing him off."
The source pointed out that Emmanuel's chest hit the culvert hard, leading to his immediate death.
It was reported that the thugs ran away right after the incident.
Police from the Idimu Division later arrived and took away the body. At the time of this report, the identity of the deceased had not been confirmed.
On Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident.
She said investigations are ongoing to find out what exactly happened to the rider.
She explained, "A Federal Road Safety Corps officer came to report that he saw a corpse at the accident scene. Our officers quickly went there and found the body of the victim along with his motorcycle.
“When we spoke to people in the area, we got two different stories. One version said a pedestrian was trying to cross the road, and the rider lost control while trying to avoid hitting that person.
“The other version said some boys ran away right after the crash, raising suspicions that they might have attacked or pushed the rider before he fell.
She added that the police are investigating the case and trying to get CCTV footage from the area to find out what really happened.
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