An accident at the pipeline junction of Ogere Remo corridor of the Lagos – Ibadan expressway has left four traders dead and four others injured on Thursday.
The accident, which occurred around 4.30am, involved a truck marked TKP 653 XA Man diesel and was loaded with yam tubers with fourteen passengers believed to be traders from the north.
They were heading to Lagos at the time.
Witnesses said the speeding truck ran into the road median following poor visibility, lost control and skidded off before it fell on the road – with the tubers of yam and a side of the truck, pinning the traders to the ground.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps(TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the accident in his traffic incident report, stated that the dead were evacuated to FOS mortuary, Ipara Remo while the injured taken to idera hospital, Sagamu.
Babatunde said: “We learnt the vehicle was coming from the North in bound Lagos and loaded with yam. The casualty was much because some of the passengers who are also likely owners of the yam were seating on the yam in the the open space at the back, thus when it lost control due to over speeding and poor visibility, it fell by its side with the yam and vehicle falling on them.
“The vehicle has been taken to the Police Motor Traffic Division, Iperu.
However, the driver was among the injured.
“While TRACE Corps commiserate with the family of the dead and injured, motorists are advised to maintain their vehicle very well, avoid over speeding and night travel if possible, especially now that that the harmattan season is here and giving rise to poor visibility every where.”