By Our Correspondent
The Kara Bridge axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State is a beehive of activities right now as commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as Okada are trying to make brisk trade in defiance of Lagos State ban at the site of a tanker explosion which had occasioned a serious traffic chaos.
Okada riders were trying to make quick money from desperate pedestrians who had to resort to motorcycle rides to get out of the traffic clog and probably still reach their destinations in Lagos on time.
However, police who are positioned at the scene of the accident to manage the crisis are also trying to deter the motorcyclists from breaking the Lagos State Government’s ban on Okada riding in almost all parts of the state and thereby adding to the bedlam of activities caused by the accident.
The accident was caused by a diesel-laden tanker which had crashed on the highway spewing its content on the road while its head exploded occasioning an endless queue of traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Two persons out of the three in the exploded head of the tanker have already been pronounced dead.
It was gathered that the driver of the truck, with number plate DTM 109 XA, lost control while moving inward Ogun State.
He was said to have crashed the truck against the railings, as the vehicle overturned while its head was detached and fell into a ditch below the bridge.
The head was said to have exploded, killing two of the three occupants.
Our correspondent observed that the truck spilled its content on the expressway, as firefighters were on standby to avert any form of disaster resulting from the spilled content.
The incident resulted in gridlock along the axis, extending to the Berger area.
The police and men of the Ogun State Federal Road Safety Corps were also seen at the scene of the incident, as they controlled the traffic.
The Ogun State Commandant of the FRSC, Ahmed Umar, said it was a lone crash caused by speed violation and loss of control.
He said, “Obviously, the driver must have been on speed. It had three occupants, one survived and two others were trapped and burnt to death. Men of the fire service were able to put out the fire, but the detached head was too hot to ascertain the extent of damage.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he was not aware of the incident.
Source: Punch
