No fewer than 13 persons lost their lives in separate accidents in Lagos and Niger states on Sunday.
In the Lagos accident, the Federal Road Safety Corps, in a statement on Monday, confirmed that six persons died in a crash involving a Toyota Sienna with number plate JJJ 947 HM and a stationary truck at the Agemowo end of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The Toyota Sienna, while heading inward Badagry, was said to have rammed into the stationary truck that was parked by the side of the road around 8pm on Sunday, causing the accident that claimed the lives of six persons including an infant.
Reacting, the spokesperson for the FRSC in the state, Olabisi Sonusi, in a statement on Monday, said the driver lost control of the Toyota Sienna and rammed into a truck, adding that the corpses had been evacuated to the Badagry General Hospital mortuary.
The statement read in part, “The FRSC Lagos has confirmed the death of four males and one female adult in a crash which occurred on Agemowo- Buhari Estate, inward Badagry, on the Lagos Badagry Expressway, around 8.43pm on Sunday, February 12, 2023.
“The FRSC operatives in conjunction with other traffic management agencies cleared the obstructions off the road. The Sector Commander, Corps Commander Olusegun Ogungbemide, has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family of the bereaved.
“He said truck drivers of trucks should ensure that minimum safety standards are maintained at all times while other road users should avoid speeding and drive with caution under low visibility or avoid night driving to prevent unwarranted loss of lives and destruction.”
Also confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Taofik Adebayo, said the driver of the truck mounted a road sign before the incident happened.
He said, “The man put the necessary road signs on the road but the driver of the Sienna bus did not notice anything before running into the truck.
“Every driver should ensure that their headlamp is working perfectly before embarking on any commercial venture at night, including private cars.
“Six persons died in the crash. A male driver, a female adult seated beside him, and three other male occupants died on the spot. The sixth occupant who was an infant was rushed to the hospital but later died.”
Similarly, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Niger State, Kumar Tsukwam, confirmed that seven persons died in a crash around Lanle, in the Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.
Tsukwam said the accident, which occurred on Sunday night, involved a truck with number plate FKA-327XA and a commercial Ford mini-bus with number plate SHA-140XH, which was caused by excessive speeding.
“The vehicles collided when the Ford minibus tried to overtake another vehicle while speeding, then it collided with the truck. All seven victims didn’t die on the spot, six of the victims died on the spot while one was taken to the hospital but eventually died the next day.
“The corpses were handed over to the Vice-Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Ahmed, in the presence of the police and the vehicles are with the Kutigi Police Division for further investigation,” Tsukwam said.
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