A commercial motorcyclist rider popularly called Okada rider was yesterday crushed to death by a heavy-duty vehicle at Toronto Junction, Owerri, Imo State capital.

The victim identified as Dada in his late 20s, according to reports, hailed from one of the northern states of the country and had lived in Owerri with his relatives for more than five years.

Some eyewitnesses who spoke to newsmen at the scene of the incident said the deceased was riding with one hand while using the other hand to answer a call when he met his sudden death.

He was said to have hit a bump and lost control of the bike, which resulted in him running into the vehicle that was coming from behind.

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The body was later evacuated by the police from the scene after the driver had run to them for safety to avoid being lynched. But for the timely intervention of security personnel, the vehicle was about to be set ablaze by the deceased colleagues. This caused heavy gridlock at the junction until respite returned to the area.

As at the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Orlando Ikeokwu, was yet to react to the incident.

In a related development, an unidentified man was on Wednesday crushed to death while crossing the road and also on a video call at Adedero village on the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway in Ogun State.