Driver Flees After Knocking Down Elderly Man in Abeokuta

Panic gripped residents of Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Wednesday after a hit-and-run taxi driver knocked down an elderly man near the Cathedral Diocese of Saint Peter and fled the scene.

The tragic incident, which occurred around noon, brought traffic to a halt as passersby rushed to assist the victim, who was left bleeding and unconscious on the road.

Eyewitnesses told Global Mirror News that the victim was attempting to cross the road when a speeding commercial taxi rammed into him. The driver, believed to be intoxicated, briefly stepped out of his vehicle as though to render help but quickly jumped back in and sped off.

A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ake branch, Mr. Lukmon Babatunde, said:

“The driver hit the man hard. He came down pretending to help, then suddenly entered his car and ran away. We moved the man off the road so other cars wouldn’t crush him.”

Another eyewitness, Mrs. Adedoja Hassan, said the taxi’s windscreen shattered from the impact. She added that fear and uncertainty stopped people from taking the victim to the nearby Ọba Ademola Hospital immediately.

“People were scared he might have died, so they waited. It’s sad because the hospital is very close,” she said.

Residents later contacted the Abeokuta South Local Government Authority, which reportedly sent an ambulance to evacuate the victim to the hospital.

When reached, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Mr. Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the Agency was yet to receive an official report but would investigate the matter.

“We’ll look into it once the details are confirmed,” he said.

As of press time, Global Mirror News gathered that the elderly man was still alive but in critical condition.

Residents have since called on the Ogun State Government to install speed breakers and traffic along Ake, Isale-Ake to curb reckless driving in the Area.