Nine die, four injured in Ogun auto crashes

Tragedy struck on Saturday at Wasimi Village on the old Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway after two women lost their lives, while four others were injured in a road accident.

Also, seven persons died on Sunday at Fidiwo, Ogun State end of the Lagos-Ibadan Express in a separate road accident.

The Saturday accident involved a Nissan saloon car with number plate, SZ 171 AAA, and an IVECO truck with number plate, SRA 546 XA, loaded with granite.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the occupants of the Nissan car were on their way back to Lagos from Ilaro in the Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, where they had gone to attend a party, when rain started.

According to eyewitnesses, the woman driving the car lost control when the driver of the granite-laden truck coming behind hooted the vehicle’s horn to pave the way for its passage on the double-carriage road.

It was further gathered that the truck driver, while trying to avoid the car, crashed into the median and fell on the car, emptying its content on the highway and on the car.

The victims’ car was said to have been covered by the granite and those who were alive were seen waving through the granite.

Our correspondent learnt that the entourage of the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, and the newly promoted Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Abdulmajid Ali, went to the rescue of the victims.

Also involved in the rescue operation was a former Chairman of the Abeokuta North LGA, Abeeb Ajayi.

Both Adekunbi and Ali, who were on their way to Abeokuta, immediately contacted the men of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency and Federal Road Safety Corps.

PUNCH Metro learnt that a passing truck with number plate, EPE 231 XJ, was used to pull the truck off the car after efforts by sympathisers proved abortive.

Four female occupants were said to have been pulled out of the car, with two of them rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, while the others were rushed to the Ifo General Hospital.

The remains of the two dead female passengers were also removed from the vehicle and taken to the Ifo General Hospital mortuary.

Both the state Sector Commander of the FRSC, Adegoke Adetunji, and the Public Relations Officer of TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, blamed the truck driver for speeding.

The FRSC boss said, “I don’t want to link the incident to the weather, but this is a rainy season and the road is always wet; the tyres will not have good grip on the road like when the road is dry.

“My advice to motorists is to obey the speed limit. If they know the weather is not conducive, they shouldn’t be in a hurry; they should obey the speed limit and have consideration for other road users. They should also desist from using fairly-used tyres.”

In the Sunday crash, seven persons were said to have died, while nine others were injured in an auto crash at the Fidiwo area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Adetunji said the accident occurred around 12 noon.  He said the casualties were four males, two females and a child.

He explained that the crash involved a Mazda 18-seater passenger bus and a truck.

“The accident happened at a section where there was a diversion of traffic to a single lane due to ongoing construction work on the road,” he added.

The Ogunmakin Unit Commander, FRSC, Mr. David Ogunjana, who was at the accident scene, observed that the crash occurred due to wrongful overtaking.

He said the driver of the Mazda bus heading for Ibadan overtook wrongfully and the bus ran into the oncoming truck.

He gave the number plate of the Mazda bus as, SKJ 958 SP, while the truck was marked, XB 219 PTN.