Police identify victims of Ojuelegba accident as another container truck falls on Ikorodu-Sagamu expressway

The Lagos State Police Command has identified the three victims of the Wednesday fatal accident in the Ojuelegba, Surulere area.

According to the command, the victims are Abubakar Suleiman, Kamilu Umar and Umaru Suleiman.

The police also said the driver of the truck had been arrested and detained at the Surulere Police Division.

A police source said the only survivor of the accident, Lasisi Akeem, had yet to show up at the police station to write statement.

The source said, “The driver has been arrested and is in custody. But the survivor, whose statement is vital, has not shown up at the station to report.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Patricia Amadin, also said the relatives of the victims had already shown up.

She said, “The driver of the truck has been arrested, and he is currently at the Surulere Police Division. His name is withheld.

“As of now, the container is still at the scene of the accident. Meanwhile, the families of the deceased have also shown up at the police station.”

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said the men were between the ages of 30 and 55 years.

It would be recalled that a 40-feet container had fallen off the bridge in Ojuelegba on Wednesday and trapped two vehicles.

While the occupant of the white Nissan Sunny with number plate, DG 750 LND, escaped unhurt, the three passengers in the black Toyota Camry, with number plate, LSD 532 CN, were crushed to death.

Officials said the content of the container, which included building materials, iron doors and cements, had been handed over to a Lagos State Task Force.

Meanwhile less than 48 hours after a container fell off the busy Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos, another accident happened involving a container laden truck happened on the Ikorodu-Sagamu expressway on Friday.

However, no life was lost in this latest incident, which occurred at Winners Bus Stop, located between Lagos State Polytechnic and Jubilee Estate in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The truck with a Lagos licence number plate, JJJ-933 XA, was said to be ascending a hill en-route Lagos road, Ikorodu, when it lost control and fell on its side.

It fell across the entire breadth of the dual carriageway and prevented other vehicles from using the major road.

An eyewitness, simply identified as Kabiru, who lives few meters away from the scene, told newsmen that “the accident happened at about 2.30 am on Friday.

“We heard a loud noise and when we came to the scene, we saw that it was a container truck that had fallen.

“We didn’t see the driver of the truck by the time we arrived.”

A resident of the area, Mrs. Chioma Amadi said, “This sort of accident used to happen here, and on some occasion lives are lost.

“A similar fatal accident happened here about four years ago which claimed the life of a polytechnic lecturer’s pregnant wife.

“But the government has failed to address our plight.”

Another resident and a businesswoman, Mrs. Folashade Aina, said cases of fallen articulated vehicles were a regular occurrence on the road.

She attributed this to reckless driving, the rickety trucks used by some of the truck owners and the deplorable state of the Ikorodu-Sagamu Expressway.

Meanwhile, many passengers who had hitherto boarded other vehicles either abandoned them or boarded commercial motorcycles.

On their part, commercial motorcyclists who plied the route took advantage of the situation to hike fares.

For instance, the fare on a trip between Odogunyan Bus-Stop and Garage Roundabout on the Lagos Road, in Ikorodu, which normally goes for N150 rose to between N200 and N250.



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