The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed that the driver and owner of the truck involved in an accident that killed nine people in the state’s Ojuelegba area on Sunday be investigated.
The governor, who urged the police to expedite their investigation into the tragic incident, also directed a meeting between the Ministry of Transportation and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) to find a long-term solution to the problem of falling trucks.
According to Gbenga Omotoso, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, the governor has also directed that all laws governing the operation of trucks and related vehicles be enforced with greater vigour and diligence.
Sanwo-Olu described the Sunday incident as “one too many,” saying it demonstrated the irresponsibility of the owners and drivers of such articulated vehicles, who are required by law to care for other road users.
While reiterating its zero tolerance for large containers that fall off trucks and injure or kill citizens, who are going about their lawful businesses, the state government disclosed that the driver (Sodiq Okanlawon) and the owner (Wasiu Lekan) of a container which killed three people on the 26th July, 2020, on Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, Ilasamaja, were prosecuted and convicted on the 28th February, 2022, and sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Okikiolu Ighile.
In a similar vein, the government promised to put the driver and owner of the truck involved in the Sunday incident on trial for the needless death of citizens, in the hope that it would send a strong message to all those who have no regard for other people’s lives.
On Sunday in Ojuelegba, nine people were killed when a container fell off a moving truck and collided with a minibus.
While expressing condolences to the families of those who died, the state government prayed that the Almighty console them and grant them the strength to get through this difficult time.
