One person has been killed, while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a road crash that occurred at the Saapade section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro learnt from the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, that the accident occurred in the early hours of the day.
The truck, which was conveying farm produce, reportedly ran into a ditch after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Akinbiyi said, “A fatal road traffic accident occurred at the Uncle Abbey Block Industry area, close to the Isara-Remo/Erimobi Bridge, inbound Lagos-Ibadan.
“It involved a Volvo intercooler truck with no number plate. Based on a passenger’s account, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, lost control, and the vehicle veered off the road into a ditch.
“Eleven passengers were involved. One adult male died, while eight others sustained injuries.”
He added that the injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital, while the remains of the deceased and the unharmed passengers were handed over to the Truckers’ Union representatives.
“The eight injured victims were evacuated to Victory Hospital, Ogere-Remo, for urgent medical attention, while the deceased and unharmed passengers were released to the Truckers’ Union representatives,” Akinbiyi concluded.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has become notorious for fatal road crashes that have claimed several lives in recent times.
PUNCH Metro reported in January that no fewer than eight persons lost their lives after a commercial bus rammed into a truck at the NASFAT turning along the expressway.
Similarly, renowned boxing champion Anthony Joshua narrowly escaped death in a road crash that claimed the lives of two of his friends at the Danco area of the expressway.
These incidents have raised public concerns about government efforts to curb the recurring road crashes.
