Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed the prosecution of the owner and driver of the truck involved in Sunday’s accident in Ojuelegba in which nine people died.
The casualties, as reported by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) are made up of five males (including a boy) and four females (including a girl).
On Monday, the state government commiserated with the families of the victims, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
Following an interim report of the incident, Omotoso said that the governor directed the Police to speed up investigation of the matter.
He said that the governor directed the Ministry of Transportation and Nigeria Ports Authority to urgently find a lasting solution to the menace of falling trucks, while the laws governing the operations of trucks and related vehicles must be enforced with more vigour and diligence.
The statement reads: “The incident of 29 January, 2023 is one too many and it shows the irresponsibility of owners and drivers of such articulated vehicles who under the law should care for other road users.
“The Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for large containers that fall off trucks and injure or kill citizens, who are going about their lawful businesses. The driver (Sodiq Okanlawon) and owner (Wasiu Lekan) of a container which killed three people on the 26 July, 2020 on Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, Ilasamaja were prosecuted and convicted on the 28 February, 2022 and sentenced to life imprisonment by Hon. Justice Okikiolu Ighile.
“The state government will, in a similar manner, ensure that the driver and the owner of the truck involved in the 29 January incident are put on trial for the needless death of our dear citizens. This, we hope, will send a strong message to all those who have no regard for other people’s lives that Lagos will not condone their recklessness. They must be stopped, with the strong backing of our laws, because their actions offend our avowed commitment to safety and decency”.
