It was a
black Wednesday in Ogun State yesterday as no fewer than 16 people were killed
in separate auto crashes across the state.
Among the
victims were seven secondary school students in Itori, Ewekoro Local Government
Area of the state, who were crushed to death by an articulated vehicle.
Also,
four persons were killed in another accident in Olodo, Odeda Local Government
Area of the state, along the old Abeokuta-Ibadan road.
Five
other people died in Ogere, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, after a trailer
lost control and rammed into their vehicle.
In Itori,
anger reigned and tears flowed when a truck, with registration number Lagos XZ
628 AKD conveying tonnes of granite from Abeokuta, rammed into some students of
Itori Comprehensive High School who were headed for their homes after the
school closing hour.
The
tragic incident, which occurred about 3:00 p.m., ignited violent reaction from
residents of the town who vandalized about 50 vehicles following the accident
on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Eye
witnesses account said the articulated vehicle, which was coming from Abeokuta,
the state capital, lost control and eventually submerged the students with its
spilled content, killing five of them in the process and injuring others. Two
others later died in the hospital.
Miffed by
the accident, other students, residents of the community and sympathizers were
said to have barricaded the highway with bonfires.
The
blockage led to serious traffic congestion on the highway as motorists coming
from Abeokuta and Lagos ends were prevented from reaching their destinations.
In the
ensuing confusion, dozens of vehicles were smashed by angry students in protest
against the killing of their colleagues.
It took
several hours of the intervention of policemen as well as officials of the
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and
Enforcement Corps (TRACE) to clear the blockage and restore normalcy on the
expressway.
Apparently
to forestall a breakdown of law and order, the state Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, visited the scene for on-the-spot assessment.
When
contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa
Adejobi, confirmed the death of five students in the Itori incident, saying
others injured had been taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Adejobi,
an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the police commissioner was at the
accident scene to calm frayed nerves.
Also
speaking, the Itori Unit Commander of FRSC, Mr. Fatai Bakare, said the corpses
of the victims had been deposited at the morgue of Ifo General Hospital.
The
Nigerian Compass gathered that the Olodo incident, which claimed four lives,
involved two vehicles, including a Toyota Camry car marked Lagos MUS 984 AR and
a brown Mazda car with number plate Lagos JP 602 AAA.
The
incident, according to eye witnesses, occurred about 4:30 p.m. when the lone
occupant of the Toyota Camry, who was said to be a “learner” collided with the
other vehicle coming from Abeokuta.
Two
people were said to have lost their lives on the spot while the two drivers of
the vehicles died at the hospital.
Although
the PPRO could not confirm the Olodo incident, he told the Nigerian Compass
that five persons were killed in a multiple accident in Ogere, Ikenne Local
Government Area of the state, when a Dangote trailer lost control.
Adejobi
said the incident was initially mistaken for armed robbery on the Lagos-Ibadan
expressway due to the traffic jam occasioned by the crash.
He said,
“The command wishes to debunk the rumour of armed robbery at Ajebo area along
Lagos-Ibadan expressway today. It’s a rumour.
However,
the command reiterates that the incident recorded after Ogere was a multiple
fatal accident that claimed five lives.
“The
accident was caused by a Dangote trailer which lost control. The traffic jam
occasioned by the accident was then mistaken for robbery incident as usual.
“The
command wishes to state that the armed robbery rumour was the handiwork of
mischief makers and should be disregarded.”
Compass
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