What could have resulted in another disaster was averted in the early hours of Friday, September 4, as a container fell off a truck at the Obanikoro/Palmgrove axis of the Ikorodu Road, Lagos. Barely 48 hours ago, a ghastly accident occurred in which four persons died following a container that fell off a truck from a bridge at Ojuelegba Lagos. However, no life was lost at the Ikorodu Road accident even as the Police, Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) were already on ground to control the situation.
In a chat with a top official of FRSC, Mr EO Osungbure, he said the driver of the truck had already left with the vehicle before they arrived at the scene, adding that the owner of the container later showed up. According to him, his men ‘’are already on ground to ensure free flow of traffic’’, and assured that ‘’in some minutes the container will be removed’’.
When contacted, the owner of the container Mr Chidi Imoha said the Ojota-bound container took off from TinCan Apapa, adding that he rushed down to the scene of the accident when he heard what had happened, but did not see the truck. Asked whether he knew the truck driver, Imoha said no, disclosing that a clearing agency firm in collaboration with the Customs contracted the truck driver.
Many Nigerians believe that with the recurrence of container-trucks accidents, it’s high time the federal government enacted a law restricting the movement of containers to a specific time, preferably, between 12midnight and 5am.
By Michael Otogo
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