It was a black Sunday in Lagos as a truck leaden with a container rammed unto passengers and a commercial motorcycle operator (Okada rider) killing four persons in the Agboju area of the state.

The truck had a brake failure and ran into the victims while the container on the truck fell on passers-by injuring many others.

As of the press time, the news was sketchy, but a senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not supposed to speak to the press said: “Yes it is the truth. A truck conveying a container ran into some passengers at Agboju Bus Stop and killed four persons.

“Many people were injured too. I don’t know how many that were injured, but about six persons have been rushed to the hospital. We are trying to evacuate the bodies of four persons crushed by the container.

“We have been warning truck drivers that the roads are bad and that they should keep their vehicles in order. We have also warned them to lace their containers, but they won’t do that. It is pathetic because more people who sustained a varying degree of injury may give up the ghost.”

The police officer said the divisional police officer of Agboju, CSP Chike Oti and his team were busy keeping vigil in the area to prevent hoodlums from cashing in on the situation to cause a breakdown of law and order.

The officer said: “The timely intervention of the police saved the situation as aggrieved youths in the area wanted to kill the truck driver and set trucks within the area on fire. The area is tensed as the youths have barricaded the road setting borne fire with used tyres. The driver has been arrested and he is in protective custody of the police.

A resident, John Udor, however, blamed bad road and negligence of government agencies for the tragedy. “The government should expedite action on the road repairs. The roads are in terrible state. More so, government agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Police and the Lagos State Management Agency (LASTMA) are treating truck drivers as lords while they are busy chasing commercial bus drivers and private car owners as Ebola patients.

“That is why truck drivers can bring in all kind of rickety vehicles to the state. That is why a truck will be carrying containers without lacing them. The government should take action on this issue of all manners of trucks that enter into Lagos.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO ), DSP Bala Elkana, said he was yet to be briefed by the Agboju DPO. (The Sun)

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