Two
persons were killed on Wednesday, while no fewer than nine others were
injured after a tipper rammed into pedestrians at the U-turn end of the
Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. The
tipper was reported to be avoiding a government convoy of seven
vehicles that allegedly drove recklessly to the expressway from a side
road. The incident was said to have occurred between 11am and 12pm.
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Eyewitness said the convoy had stopped to go to a yet-to-be identified person admitted at an exclusive hospital in the area. A
witness, who requested anonymity said,
“It had been a convoy of about seven vehicles. There have been four jeeps and three escort vans. The escorts were riot policemen.
“On their pathway back , while connecting the express, the convoy caused the accident. They drove to the expressway recklessly without stopping to check for oncoming vehicles.
“At the time they connected the expressway, a tipper was approaching on the top speed. In order to avoid hitting the convoy, the tipper swerved to the right side of the road. It lost control and rammed into some pedestrians standing by the side of the road.”
The
eyewitness said 11 persons were hit, while two died on the spot. It had
been learnt that the convoy didn't wait initially, but went to make a
U-turn to one other side of the expressway. It had been learnt that the convoy later stopped few metres opposite the scene of the accident. The
eyewitness said, “The riot policemen came down, they watched the scene
for a time, jumped within their vehicles and proceeded towards the Sango
area of Ogun State.
“We did not challenge the convoy when it stopped because the policemen carried guns and they looked menacing.”
It had been learnt that the Lagos State Ambulance Service bus later arrived to convey victims to the hospital.
Eyewitnesses were unsure if the convoy belonged to either the Lagos or Ogun state governments.
One
said,
“The plates of the vehicles were covered. Some people later came and said the number plates on the vehicles of law enforcement had Ogun State written on them.”
A
senior police officer mounted on Oke Odo Police Division, who spoke on
the condition of anonymity while he wasn't the command's spokesperson,
said, “We were informed that the truck originating from Abeokuta, had
experienced brake failure while trying to prevent hitting another
vehicle.
“The truck swerved off the street and in the act, ran into some pedestrians have been standing by the side of the expressway. We're aware that two persons were killed in the accident and that they had been conveyed to an over-all hospital by sympathisers at the scene.
“However, we do not know if the automobile belonged to a convoy because we didn't meet it at the scene.”
Ogun State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yusup Olayniyonu, said the convoy wasn't that of the Ogun government.
He explained, “The governor is at Abeokuta and the deputy governor can be at Abeokuta. Neither was in Lagos today.”
The
Lagos State Commissioner for information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef
Ibirogba, also said no government convoy from the state went to the
area.
A
very placed government official also said,
“The governor is in Marina, Lagos Island, whilst the deputy governor is beyond the country. No government official was in the area today (Wednesday).”
The
telephone type of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP
Ngozi Braide, rang out. Texting provided for the telephone waere not
replied to as of the time of likely to the press.
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