Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the prosecution of the owner and driver of the truck from which a container fell on a bus, killing nine people in Ojuelegba on Sunday.
A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on Monday, said the government commiserated with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the accident.
Omotoso said Sanwo-Olu, after receiving an interim report of the incident, has directed the police to speed up their investigation of the matter.
He said the governor has given directives that the driver of the truck and the owner, who are in police custody, must be prosecuted.
“Ministry of Transportation and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) should meet urgently to find a lasting solution to the menace of falling trucks; and all the laws governing the operations of trucks and related vehicles must be enforced with more vigour and diligence.
“The incident of 29th January 2023 is one too many and it shows the irresponsibility of owners and drivers of such articulated vehicles who under the law should care for other road users,” he said.
The commissioner said the government has zero tolerance for large containers that fall off trucks and injure or kill citizens, who are going about their lawful businesses.
“The driver (Sodiq Okanlawon) and the owner (Wasiu Lekan) of a container which killed three (3) people on the 26th July 2020 on Oshodi/Apapa expressway, Ilasamaja, were prosecuted and convicted on the 28th February 2022 and sentenced to life imprisonment by Hon. Justice Okikiolu Ighile.
“The state government will, in a similar manner, ensure that the driver and the owner of the truck involved in the January 29th incident are put on trial for the needless death of our dear citizens.
“This, we hope, will send a strong message to all those who have no regard for other people’s lives that Lagos will not condone their recklessness. They must be stopped, with the strong backing of our laws, because their actions offend our avowed commitment to safety and decency,” he added.
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