The train was said to have been blaring horns from a distance, but the motorcyclist ignored it and attempted to beat the train by crossing the rail track.
A police officer, Philip Kolo and an unidentified commercial motorcyclist, were crushed to death under a moving train around PWD bus stop, Ikeja, Lagos State, on Wednesday.
The police officer, who was an inspector attached to the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit Strike Team, Force Headquarters, Abuja, was on his way to Ikeja on the motorcycle around 10:30am, when the incident happened.
It was learnt that Kolo was based in Abuja and was on an investigation assignment with his team members in Lagos.
He was in his way to meet with his team members when the accident happened.
The train was said to have been blaring horns from a distance, but the motorcyclist ignored it and attempted to beat the train by crossing the rail track. They were, however, crushed to death.
“When we went to the scene, we found the policeman’s identification card, but there was nothing with which we could identify the rider. As we were there, some policemen on patrol came around and confirmed the identity of the policeman. They later removed the bodies,” an eyewitness said.
An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said: “The motorcycle rider was coming from the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway axis and wanted to enter the Ikeja GRA. He was probably thinking he could beat the train, which dragged them along the track.
“We were called immediately it happened and we got there about five minutes later. We found the shoes of the men and some parts of the motorcycle scattered around the bush. The deceased were dismembered. We called officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, who brought an ambulance to remove the bodies.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said the corpses had been deposited at the Lagos Mainland Hospital mortuary.
He said: “The policeman was in Lagos for an investigation and was being conveyed from Agege to Ikeja when the motorcycle he was on was hit by the train. His corpse has been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy."