No fewer than seven persons lost their lives, while 19 others were injured in a lone accident that occurred on Wednesday morning around Badeku area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The lone accident, which involved a truck, occurred at about 7.00 a.m at Badeku Junction on the Ibadan-Ile-Ife highway.
A witness, Mr Tunde Lateef, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the accident that the truck, conveying dozens of labourers, was on top speed going towards Ikire when another truck coming out of Badeku village crossed the expressway.
Lateef said an attempt by the driver of the first truck to avoid colliding with the one coming out of Badeku caused it to somersault, thus flinging people on board into different directions.
NAN reported that men of the state’s police command and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who arrived at the scene of the accident assisted in conveying the victims to the hospital.
The sector commander of FRSC in Oyo State, Mrs Uche Chukwurah, confirmed the accident in a telephone interview with NAN.
Chukwurah said the truck involved in the accident had 26 labourers who were going for construction work.
“It was a lone accident. The yellow tipper vehicle was carrying 26 people, 19 of them injured, while seven died.
“The injured have been taken to ASBON Hospital at Gbagi area for treatment, while the remains of the seven dead were collected by their relatives for burial,” she said. The sector commander attributed the possible cause of the accident to speed violation.
Lolo Ijeoma Njoku Obinwannem News Writer / Dec 16, 2021
