The Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to operators of articulated vehicles, tankers, and trucks to strictly comply with traffic laws and speed limits.
The caution was delivered by Mr. Sola Giwa, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, in a statement on Sunday following a crash involving a heavy-duty truck carrying Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and a privately owned vehicle at the crest of Apakun Bridge, inward Oshodi.
Preliminary assessments indicated that the truck, bearing number plate EKY 120 YK, was speeding and violated traffic safety standards. It collided with a moving silver Toyota Corolla (EKY 289 HM), causing significant traffic disruption and posing a serious threat to lives and property.
“The force of the collision precipitated severe traffic disruption and posed an immediate and existential threat to lives and property within the surrounding vicinity,” Giwa said.
In the aftermath, two pedestrians were struck, and the driver of the Toyota Corolla sustained serious injuries. Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) promptly rescued the victims and conveyed them to a nearby hospital, where they are receiving intensive medical treatment.
To ensure public safety during the rescue operations, personnel from the Ajao Estate Police Division provided security, while the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were deployed due to the highly combustible nature of the truck’s cargo.
Giwa condemned the frequent road accidents caused by reckless speeding, especially among operators of trucks, tankers, and other heavy-duty vehicles. He described such conduct as “egregiously irresponsible, dangerously negligent, and wholly antithetical to the Lagos State Government’s overarching aspiration of fostering a safe, orderly and efficiently regulated transportation ecosystem.”
The government warned that it would enforce the law strictly against anyone found culpable of endangering human lives through unlawful driving practices.
