The recklessness of Dangote’s truck drivers came to bear yet again no fewer than 11 persons were crushed to death on the spot while 8 others who sustained various degrees of injuries were reportedly hospitalized.
Meganews.com.ng gathered that the ghastly accident occurred when an 18-seater Toyota Hiace had a head-on collision with a Dangote Cement truck at the Ovia River and the victims who were members of the Salvation Army Church were returning from a church program in Lagos when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Reacting to the unfortunate but avoidable incident eyewitnesses and residents of the community complained bitterly about the reckless disposition of drivers of Dangote trucks especially along the Benin-Lagos expressway, adding that the government should come to their rescue as the situation seem to be getting out of hand.
Meanwhile, the Edo State government has expressed sadness over the ghastly accident that occurred on Thursday 29th June 2023. This was during a phone-in radio program where Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu who spoke on behalf of the state government on Friday explained that the state government was ready to repair deplorable federal roads across the state to prevent accidents and waste of time on the roads.
He said the state government had embarked on Federal Road repairs in the past, but were not reimbursed, hence it stopped despite its importance to the socio-economic well-being of residents of the state.
“We don fix the road before, but the federal government no pay us back the money; because dem say dem no approve am, so we com say we no go do again. Dem say dem no dey pay again”, Shaibu was quoted as saying.
Also expressing his sadness and sending his condolences is the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, former Governor Peter Obi who wrote via his verified Twitter handle: “I received with shock, the heartwrenching report of a fatal road accident involving members of the Salvation Army, which claimed the lives of 12 officers (pastors), a baby and the driver. I sincerely commiserate with the Salvation Army and the respective families of officers who died in the accident. I pray for the quick recovery of the injured. May God grant eternal rest to the dead.”
Nigerians have now appealed to the Federal Government to warn the management of Dangote Group to caution their drivers as news of several lives lost in avoidable accidents orchestrated by their recklessness is becoming intolerable and worrisome.
For instance, in May 2023, crushed a police officer to death while five others sustained a serious injury on the spot.
The incident occurred at Saiten Petrol Station end of the Abeokuta-Lagos Expressway in Ogun State. Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps in the state, Florence Okpe, in a statement said, the nine vehicles, including a Dangote truck, a tipper, a yellow bus, an armoured tank, a Toyota RAV4, and three motorcycles, were involved in the crash.
Noting that eight victims comprising seven male adults and one female adult were involved in the crash, Okpe said one person was killed, while two persons were rescued unhurt.
Okpe further explained that the crash happened when the driver of the Dangote truck, while driving at top speed, attempted to overtake a vehicle, adding that the driver lost control, crashed into other vehicles, and subsequently plunged into the river.
Okpe said the impact of the collision made the Toyota RAV4 car go up in flames, adding that the fire was put out with a fire extinguisher obtained from a nearby filling station.
“The injured victims were taken to the General Hospital in Ota for medical attention. One person identified as a police officer, who was on duty, got injured and was also taken to the hospital by the FRSC rescue team, but he later died,” the statement said.
