Truck owner, driver to face prosecution over death of two at Ilasa
Tragedy struck yesterday at the Toyota Bus Stop on the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, when a commercial motorcycle rider was crushed to death by an articulated truck moving towards Oshodi.
The passenger on the motorcycle escaped death by the whiskers as he immediately jumped off the bike.
This was the second of such incident in two weeks after a container fell off its truck and landed on a commercial bus at Ilasa Bus Stop, killing two passengers on July 26.
![[FILES] Katsina State as a whole has experienced a series of attacks in recent times with bandits.](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Bandits-1062x598-1.jpg "Attack by Kogi bandits now had three fatalities - Police 5")
According to an eyewitness, the motorcyclist was crossing the expressway at about 3:30p.m. when he hit an SUV with registration number AKM 970 AA that slowed down to negotiate into the bridge leading to Airport Road.
After hitting the highlander, the rider, not wary that a trailer was fast coming behind, bent down to pick his motorcycle instead of immediately leaving the spot but met his untimely death.
“The trailer driver blasted his horn but was unable to bring the truck to a halt. He instead ran over the rider and shattered the motorcycle. He died trying to save his bike from the ruin. The passenger was able to escape death as he sighted the trailer speeding towards them,” an eyewitness told Afriupdate.
The accident drew sympathisers to the scene, who gathered to control oncoming vehicles from Apapa axis, leading to a traffic snarl.
The expressway is one of the routes prohibited for motorcycles and tricycles as announced by the state government.
MEANWHILE, the Lagos State government has declared that the driver and the owner of a container-laden truck which fell on a commercial bus in Ilasa, killing two passengers and injuring three others, would be arrested and prosecuted for the incident.
Chidinma Ajoku, an employee of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and her colleague were among the victims of the incident who died on July 26.
The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, made this known yesterday when he paid a visit to the family of the late Ajoku.
Onigbanjo, who was accompanied on the visit by some top officials from the state’s Ministry of Justice, told the mother of the deceased, Chineze Ajoku, that the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, felt her pains and was doing everything to ensure that the family gets justice.
“At the Lagos State Executive Council Meeting, we have discussed the issue and the governor was so upset,’ he said to the bereaved.
“This is happening too many times and we will use this incident to ensure that going forward, the law will deal appropriately with all those responsible. The governor is a parent and most of us in the Exco are also parents. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child and we must commend the remarkable courage you have displayed.”
Onigbanjo also disclosed that the state had resolved to amend the law to ensure that in a case where a container is not latched and it falls off and injures anyone or damages any property, both the owner of the container responsible in addition to the owner of the truck and the truck driver would be held liable.
In her response, Mrs Ajoku said: “Please, tell the governor that I am overwhelmed that he took this step to make sure that those responsible are brought to book. I am grateful and my family is grateful.
I know that now that the government has stepped into the matter, we will get justice in a short, while and this really is all I am asking.”
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