Less than a week after a truck belonging to Dangote Group crushed a Second Republic Senator, Mukhtar Abdulkarim, to death on his way from Kano to Zamfara, tragedy struck again yesterday at Ido Ekiti, Ido/Osi local government Area of Ekiti State on Saturday as three persons were killed when another truck belonging to Dangote Company crushed two motorcycles, killing three persons.
The Chairman of the Council, Ayodele Arogbodo, who related the incident to journalists in Ado Ekiti, said the it happened in front of Ekiti Parapo Grammar School in the town at about 10.30 am on Saturday.
He explained that the Dangote truck was coming from Lagos State via Ijero Ekiti and lost control at Usi-Ido junction before crashing into two moving commercial motorcyclists and overran them.
According to him, “One of the Okadas carried two passengers and another one carried three people. Three of these five persons died on the spot while the two other persons sustained severe injuries.
“I visited the scene this morning and those wounded are now at the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti and the mangled bodies of those who lost their lives have been deposited in the morgue in the same hospital”.
The Council boss said the Divisional Police Officer of the Ido Ekiti Division and the Ekiti Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission promptly visited the scene to ensure free flow of traffic along that route.
Arogbodo, who expressed sadness on the loss of the three persons called on motorists to always exercise patience while driving on the road to prevent loss off innocent lives.
Another source confided in the journalists that those who lost their lives were of the same parents and that they were traveling to Usi Ekiti when the incident happened.
The source said, “The truck were moving down the hill when he drove very close to that junction. The driver wanted to apply brake but the brake failed and the two Okadas were already at the centre of the junction when the truck climbed the median and ran over them.
“The accident would have been worse than that but there were few vehicles on the road at that time . Even those who were coming from Ido Ekiti and were quick to recognize that the truck had lost control had immediately stopped their vehicles to prevent being crushed”.
The Police Public Relation officer, Ekiti State Command, Alberto Adeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti.
Apart from being involved in killing Nigerians, a Dangote truck has also been fingered by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for being used to smuggle rice.
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