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| Burnt tanker |
Thousands of passengers were forced to pass the night on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday as a result of an accident caused by two articulated vehicles.
Two persons were said to have died in the accident, which involved five persons, while the others sustained varying degrees of injury.
The accident, which occurred in front of the AP Petrol Station in the Ayetoro area of the expressway, caused an all-night gridlock on the busy road.
The accident happened when an articulated vehicle marked Lagos KJA 894 XB, carrying a bulldozer, attempted to overtake a fuel tanker with number plate LAGOS 270 SD and in the process, pierced the tanker and let loose its content. This resulted in an instant fire outbreak.
The situation remained chaotic until midday on Friday when the debris of the burnt vehicles was cleared off the road.
The Sagamu Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr. Lasisi Ogundele, said the tanker went off in flames after both articulated vehicles collided and the tanker got pierced.
When our correspondent visited the spot on Friday morning, Ogundele blamed the accident on the carelessness of the driver of the articulated vehicle.
He said, “In an attempt to overtake the tanker, the driver of the trailer conveying the bulldozer forgot that the width of the bulldozer was wider than his truck. And in the process, the bulldozer pierced the rear compartment of the tanker and fuel started gushing out; this led to a fire outbreak.”
He said the accident occurred around 10.30 pm on Thursday, and the victims had been taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
“Five persons were involved in the accident. Three persons were seriously burnt and one of them died on the spot. While the second person died in the hospital, the third is in a critical condition,” the FRSC boss said.
Ogundele, who attributed the accident to dangerous overtaking, stated that officials of the corps passed the night at the scene trying to control traffic in the area.
He said, “You know it was late; we could not get a crane to the scene by that time to move the vehicles; that is the reason for the delay till this morning.”
The News Agency of Nigeria observed that combined efforts of the FRSC, Ogun Traffic Compliance Agency, police, soldiers and NSCDC officials had reduced the gridlock at 10.30 am, especially for those going to Ibadan from Lagos.
South-West Public Relations Officer of National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “It is unfortunate that this kind of incident is repeating itself on this corridor.
“There is an existing traffic law which stipulates how an articulated vehicle should move and overtake while on this type of road.”
The NEMA spokesperson promised that the agency would collaborate with traffic officials on federal highways to ensure compliance with the law in order to reduce road carnage.
The Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, who was at the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, said the police would ensure that the situation did not degenerate.
“We are here to ensure that hoodlums do not hijack the process and turn it into something else. A lot of people are travelling and you know what that means.
“We have a duty to protect lives and property until this road is totally free; my men are not leaving here at all,” he said.
Some of the passengers, who spoke with NAN, regretted that they embarked on a journey that had lasted for more than 15 hours.
Chinedu Uzoh, who said he was on his way to Imo, pleaded with the government to enact a law that would reduce or ban the movement of articulated vehicles during the Yuletide.
When the road was eventually cleared, FRSC officials had a tough time controlling the traffic as everyone wanted to drive off at the same time.
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