A truck laden with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, crushed to death at least six people, including motorcyclists, along Beere/Agodi Road in Ibadan on Tuesday. The truck also destroyed no fewer than six tricycles, locally referred to as ‘Keke Marwa’. The vehicle belongs to a leading petroleum marketer in Oyo State.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck driver lost control of the vehicle at the Beere end of the road. The truck ran over two tricycles at Beere, killing the two passengers instantly, before heading towards the popular Oje Market. All attempts to bring the truck under control failed, resulting in the deaths of another four people at Oje Market. All victims died on the spot, while several others who sustained varying degrees of injuries are receiving medical attention at different hospitals in the town.

In an interview with our correspondent, one of the survivors, identified as Kamoru, said he was test-running his tricycle after leaving the mechanic village when the accident occurred. “The truck rammed over my Keke, but I managed to survive,” he recounted.

At the Divisional Police Station in Mapo, a grieving relative of one of the victims said, “My brother named his daughter three days ago. Now he is gone. I thought he would survive because initially, he lost both his legs before he finally gave up the ghost in the hospital. He left behind a 10-day-old child.”

Another eyewitness, an Okada rider named Gafaru, claimed the death toll might be higher than six. “There are corpses packed in polythene bags that could not be identified,” he said.

Confirming the accident, a senior police officer, who asked not to be named, said that two corpses and the affected vehicles have been taken to the Divisional Police Station in Mapo. The case will be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, also confirmed the accident but could not provide the exact number of people involved. (Nigerian Tribune)