Driver drags tricycle rider on road till death

Onu Kingsley
| credits: Family

The life of a 28-year-old tricycle rider, Onu Kingsley, has been cut short after the driver of a Toyota Corolla, identified simply as Kingsley, allegedly dragged him on the road and crashed his body against a hurdle.

The incident happened on the Apapa Road, Ebute Meta area of Lagos State on Saturday evening.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Onu, an indigene of Enugu State, had alighted from his tricycle, popularly called, Keke NAPEP, to complain that Kingsley hit his motorcycle and injured one of his passengers.

Our correspondent learnt that the driver ignored the deceased and made to drive off. Seeing this, Onu was said to have pulled him by the shirt in a bid to stop him from escaping.

The suspect was said to have wound up his window glass with the deceased’s hand stuck, and raced down the Apapa Road, dragging him on the road in the process.

A friend of the deceased, Emmanuel Esan, said they lived in the same room on Ilaje Street.

He said, “We were together in the room that evening because we lived together. He did not plan to go out that day, but because there was no electricity, he decided to go out and make some money.

“I suddenly woke up around 12 midnight and didn’t see him by my side. I decided to call his telephone line, but the person who picked it said the owner of the phone had been injured in an accident and was at the police station.”

He said he never knew his friend had died until someone broke the news to him while he was heading for the Iponri Police Station.

Esan lamented that Onu might not have died if he had been helped to the hospital on time.

“I learnt he was on the accident spot for over two hours before the police arrived and took them to the station. He was asked to make statements, together with the driver. It was on the way to the hospital that he died,” he added.

He said Onu had only recently bought an application form to run a part time academic programme at the Yaba College of Technology, when fate struck.

Uncle to the deceased, Mike Onu, said he brought him to Lagos 15 years ago.

He described him as a quiet, humble and hardworking boy, adding that the incident was unfortunate.

“He was working hard for his future when the incident happened. He has just two brothers; one is in Sokoto, while the second is in Enugu.

“Since he died, his body has been lying there at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary.

“We have been waiting to hear from the family of the suspect, but none of them has shown up. We believe the police will help us handle the situation,” he added.

A family friend, Spurgeon Ataene, asked the police authorities to give the deceased justice.

The legal practitioner said, “The circumstances under which a case can be regarded as a fatal motor accident are clearly distinct from that of a case of murder. Murder is with intent to kill ab initio.

“Here, the suspect was not even provoked. He was the one who hit the passengers and was being confronted. He still sped off, brushing Onu’s body on the concrete tars, peeling off his flesh in the process and turning his body to piles of meat. This is a clear case of murder and should be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ngozi Braide, could not be reached on the telephone.

A text message sent to her phone had also yet to be replied as of the time of filing this report.