LAGOS: A senior official of the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Serifat Talabi, has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, just four days before her scheduled retirement and 60th birthday celebration.
Report gathered that the tragic incident occurred on Saturday near the Redemption Camp in Ogun State while Talabi was attempting to cross the expressway.
According to a senior colleague in the state civil service, who requested anonymity, Talabi served as the Director of Procurement at the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASSRA)
She was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver while trying to cross the expressway around the Redemption Camp.
Efforts were made to rush her to the hospital, but she was confirmed dead on arrival, the source said.
Another source in the agency disclosed that Talabi’s retirement ceremony, initially planned for Monday, October 13, had been rescheduled to Wednesday, October 22, to accommodate the agency’s General Manager.
She shifted the date to October 22 so her boss could attend. Invitations had already been printed and distributed to friends, relatives, and colleagues, the source added.
An invitation card sighted by reporter showed that the joint birthday and retirement ceremony was to hold at the NERDC Conference Centre, NERDC Road, Ikeja, opposite the Fela Shrine.
Meanwhile, family sources confirmed that burial arrangements have been made. A wake will be held on Thursday, October 23, followed by the burial service on Friday, October 24, both at 10 Ore-Ofe Street, Ara Hall Bus Stop, Ibafo, Ogun State.
Efforts to reach LASSRA spokesperson, Basirat Lawal, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to her phone were not returned.
The Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, also did not respond to enquiries as of press time.
Talabi’s death adds to the growing list of pedestrian fatalities caused by reckless hit-and-run drivers along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and adjoining routes connecting Lagos and Ogun states.
In August, an online News reported a similar incident in which a motorcyclist and his passenger were killed when a truck rammed into their motorcycle along the Ago-Iwoye/Ilisan Expressway and fled the scene.
