The Ogun State Police Command has said that the corpses found by the roadside on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are bodies of the destitute and paupers killed in road accidents and not victims of violence.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday.
She was reacting to a report by PUNCH Metro that corpses were being found on some sections of the highway almost daily.
In the report, some motorists along the Mowe-Ibafo axis of the expressway expressed concern over the recurring cases of corpses littering some sections of the road which they feared may cause disease outbreaks.
But the PPRO said the corpses were those of some people with mental health issues who were left by their families without care, leading them to roam the streets.
“The people in question, whose corpses were found on the road, are destitute, paupers, and mentally handicapped. They get hit by reckless drivers when roaming on the road, especially at night,” Odutola explained.
She noted that the corpse found along the Mountain Top University stretch of the road was that of a mentally derailed woman who was killed in an accident by “a dangerous driver” and the body had been evacuated and buried by the police.
“This particular one was a destitute, mentally derailed woman who was hit by a dangerous driver. The DPO used his funds to evacuate the body. The DPO said he was the one who bought formalin bought land and buried the corpse.
“It was not a case of violence of any kind. The families of these destitute abandoned them to roam about. It’s the police again that will ensure they get them out of the road,” she added.
She urged members of the public who have persons with mental issues to take adequate care of them and not leave them alone to roam the streets to avoid a situation where they are being killed by speeding vehicles.
Omolola also assured the concerned motorists and the general public that the command will continue to ensure the security of lives and property while urging motorists to be compassionate when they come across mentally derailed persons on the highway.
