The Nation Newspaper

Tag: crushes

  • Smuggler’s vehicle crushes Okada rider in Ibadan

    A smuggler’s vehicle on Sunday night crushed a commercial motorcycle (Okada) rider on Abeokuta-Ibadan Expressway and injured a mother of three.

    The injured mother is at the Emergency Unit of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    The accident, which caused commotion on the single-lane expressway, occurred near Eleso town.

    An eyewitness said the vehicle was from Abeokuta, while the commercial motorcycle was from Omi Adio.

    It was learnt the victim, identified simply as Ogba, became a father to a boy two months ago.

    On the scene were scores of residents, including relatives and friends of the deceased, commercial motorcycle riders and passers-by.

    They mourned Ogba.

    Also, the wreckage of the motorcycle and the vehicle were on the scene yesterday.

    The ill-fated vehicle, an Opel saloon car, was loaded with 24 bags of 50 kilogrammes imported rice believed to have been smuggled.

    The driver of the vehicle, who escaped unhurt, was reportedly detained at Omi-Adio Police Station.

    Some sympathisers blamed the accident on over-loading and speeding.

    The driver of the vehicle, registered as (Ogun) WDE 672 XA, was said to have lost control at a bend, causing the vehicle to somersault several times before crashing into the on-coming commercial motorcycle with the rider and passenger.

    Aggrieved youths attempted to burn the vehicle but the elders prevented them.

    But the youth destroyed some bags of rice before some policemen towed the vehicle, the motorcycle and remaining bags to the police station.

    It was gathered the remains of the deceased commercial motorcycle operator, which was conveyed to the police station on Sunday night, was given to the family yesterday for burial.

  • Trailer crushes motor boy to death

    Trailer crushes motor boy to death

    A motor boy fell off a trailer yesterday and was crushed to death by the vehicle’s rear tyres.

    Some of the boy’s vital organs and brain were splattered on the road.

    Motorist and commuters covered their faces as they passed through the accident scene at Odo Iya Alaro Bridge inward Ojota around 1pm.

    An eyewitness, Yemi Olaide, said: “Nobody was pursuing the driver; he was driving normally before the accident occurred. We don’t know what could have caused the boy’s fall,” he said.

    A commuter witness Jude Chukwudi said the boy might have been sleeping, adding: “My brother, it is one of those trailers that pack goods and are covered with trampoline, I don’t know where it was coming from but the accident happened at Odo Iya Alaro Bridge getting closer to Ojota. According to my findings, one of those sitting on the trailer fell off it. I don’t know why they always sit there; maybe it is in order to protect their belongings.

    “I don’t know if he was sleeping when he fell but he fell and the middle tyre of the trailer crushed his head.”

    But a man who simply gave his name as Segun said the boy had gone to rectify some faults under the trailer when his master unknowingly moved the vehicle and crushed him.

    “Unknowing to the driver after the trailer had started working that the boy was still under it, he moved the trailer and crushed the boy”, he said.

    Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials were seen controlling the traffic that extended to Idiroko, about two kilometres away from the spot.

    Motorists groaned in the traffic for over two hours before the road was cleared.

    A LASTMA official said officers from Ogudu Police Station took the driver away.

    The trailer, he said, had been taken to LASTMA Oshodi Headquarters.

    “At some point, some LASTMA men came and removed the body from the road to a side and covered it with a blanket. They also put tape round it pending the time police came for evacuation,” Olaide said.

    “Though, no other vehicle was involved in the accident but it caused a serious traffic jam. The LASTMA men did a good job controlling the traffic and clearing the road in no time,” he said.

  • Hit-and-run driver crushes 29-yr-old drummer to death

    A 29-year-old drummer, Saheed Ogunjimi, had life sniffed out of him in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, shortly after he left a party penultimate Sunday.

    The Nation learnt that Ogunjimi was returning from a party held at the auditorium of Olusegun Obasanjo Library, Abeokuta, when he was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver in the early hours of the day.

    Our correspondent learnt that the wife of the deceased was carrying a seven months pregnant at the time of the incident.

    Eyewitnesses said that Ogunjimi was drunk and could barely control himself as he was crossing the road before he was crushed by the unidentified vehicle.

    It was said that the unidentified driver ran away immediately the accident occurred.

    An eyewitness who did not want to be named said: “There was a downpour and his friends at the party urged him to wait till the rain would stop, but Ogunjimi did not listen to them.

    “Some of the security men at the venue of the event also fruitlessly pleaded with him not to leave because he was drunk, but the deceased ignored them.

    “Some of his friends even saw his mangled body on the road but had no idea it was him. The body was left there until men of Ogun State traffic management agency evacuated it later in the day.”

    Findings revealed that Ogunjimi was one of the drummers of a local musician that thrilled guests at the party, where he allegedly consumed alcohol in excess.

    It however took his family members more than one week to know that he had been killed after they had spent a lot of money searching for him.

    A source who spoke in confidence said: “His father, Elder Sabitu Ogunjimi, is aged. The old man said his son did not tell him about his destination when he was leaving for the party.

    “He also explained that his son was fond of drinking alcohol and had been aided home by some of his friends on a number of occasions.

    “In a bid to know his whereabouts, several calls were fruitlessly made to his mobile phone while his family members had visited several police stations and hospitals without any positive result.”

  • Tears as suspected smuggler crushes student to death on ‘Rag Day’

    A Rag Day celebration staged by students of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Abeokuta, Ogun State, ended on a tragic note when a 200 level student, Oluwatobiloba Adeniyi, was crushed by a reckless driver.

    Adeniyi was until his death penultimate Wednesday a student in the Integrated and Computer Science Education Department.

    The Rag Day was part of the programmes marking the Students’ Union week of the school.

    It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 7:30 am near the Ministry of Agriculture in Asero area of Abeokuta.

    Our correspondent learnt that the unidentified driver was a suspected smuggler.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, explained that the driver was returning from Ibadan when he suddenly veered from the road and crushed Adeniyi.

    He said: “The man (driver) was returning from Ibadan in a Volvo car and lost control of the car while on top speed. Before we knew it, he had knocked down the student. The boy was rushed to Ijaiye General Hospital, Abeokuta, where he died a few minutes later.”

    Another source, who simply identified himself as Adewale, said: “The late student was apparently tired and had just bought a sachet water to quench his thirst when the driver of a Volvo car without a registration number veered off the road and knocked him dead. From the way the man drove the car, it was apparent that he was a suspected smuggler trying to avoid law enforcement agents.”

    The Nation gathered that the late student was contesting for the post of Financial Secretary in the Students Union of the institution.

    Colleagues of the deceased student during a candle light procession in his honour in the evening of the day of the incident described him as warm and fun loving.

    Chanting solidarity songs, the distraught students asked the police to fish out the killer driver and ensure justice.

    “His heartbroken mother, who slumped after she received the news of the death of her son, has just been revived and has not fully come out of the shock of the incident,” said one of the students called Muyiwa.

    Unconfirmed reports, however, indicated that the errant driver is at large, while the car has since been moved to the Ogun Police Headquarters, Eleweeran, Abeokuta.

    Confirming the incident, the spokesman of Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, in a text message, said: “ The suspect has been charged to court and the case is ongoing.”

  • Trailer crushes motorcyclist to death in Ibadan

    A commercial motorcycle rider was  crushed to death by a trailer at Iwo Road Roundabout in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday, a day to his child’s christening.

    An eyewitness said the motorcyclist, whose name was simply given as Kehinde, was pushed by a taxi driver , who was being pursued by Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) into the path of the in-coming trailer.

    He said: “The motorcyclist was on the right side of the road close to the  bridge and had nothing to do with the VIOs. But there was a taxi being pursued by the VIOs, on the second lane (middle lane).

    “In an attempt to dodge the inspection team, the taxi bashed the motorcyclist. The female passenger successfully jumped off the bike with minor injuries. The trailer crushed the motorcyclist.

    “The trailer driver was unaware of the accident, so he just continued his journey.”

    The source said the VIOs sped off immediately after the accident, instead of pursuing the trailer.

    Another witness, however, alleged that the VIOs were pursuing the motorcyclist and in the process he was pushed in the path of the on-coming trailer.

    After the accident, his colleagues stormed the Ikolaba VIO office but were denied entry by the police. Some of them were arrested.

    It was gathered that his wife fainted when the news of his death got to her.

    Kehinde’s remains have been deposited at the Adeoyo State Hospital morgue at Yemetu, Ibadan.

  • Truck crushes three to death in Ilorin

    A cement-laden truck yesterday crushed three people to death in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    The accident occurred near the popular Oyun Bridge on the Ilorin-Kwara Polytechnic-University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Road.

    The victims, it was gathered, were motorcycle mechanics riding a motorcycle and heading to Ilorin township from the polytechnic end of the road.

    They were said to have overtaken a car and rammed into the oncoming truck, which crushed them to death.

    The accident, which occurred early yesterday, caused traffic gridlock on the busy road. It resulted in man-hour loss to workers and students of the polytechnic and the UITH.

    An eyewitness, Ibrahim Tajudeen, told The Nation that some residents, who were enraged at the death of the mechanics, and set the truck ablaze.

    The incident affected the ongoing semester examinations at the polytechnic.

    Students complained to the authorities of the polytechnic that they were unable to get to their examination centres.

    It was learnt that the authorities shifted today’s examinations to August 5.

    At the scene of the accident, men of the Fire Service, Civil Defence and the police, among others, prevented trouble.

    The institution’s spokesman, Abdulkardri Yunus, said other papers remained as they appeared on the central timetable.

    He said students of the Institute of Technology (IOT) were not affected.

    Reacting to the incident, the State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mrs Mary Wakawa said: “We were called in for a rescue operation. Our men were on sight and did rescue quite well. Three people were on one Okada; they ran into a moving trailer. Two died on the spot and the other died on the way to the hospital. They are all males. They were run over by the trailer. Their bodies were deposited at the UITH. People later attacked the trailer and burnt it.

    “The accident occurred at Sango area of the Old Jebba Road. The three victims are: Sakariyau, Wasiu Yau and Ganiu. The trailer was moving when the Okada ran into it and they had a head-on collision.

    “Okada riders are not careful. Our attitude (road users) is causing this problem. A minute can make the difference. The rush does not make one reach one’s destination. What is happening is recklessness. The Okada riders are not careful. There is no doubt about it. They do not want to obey road traffic signs. Motorists and Okada riders should be careful and stop driving and riding recklessly.”

  • Lorry crushes eight pupils in Ogun

    Lorry crushes eight pupils in Ogun

    It was tearful and violent yesterday in Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, where eight pupils were crushed to death.

    Many others were injured, some critically.

    The scene of horror was splattered with blood. Bodies and other materials littered the ground.

    A body was under the truck waiting to be pulled out — dead.

    There was tension in the community following the stalling of the rescue operation, leading to riots and smashing of vehicles on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway by youths.

    No fewer than 47 vehicles were damaged before the police arrived with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) to restore order.

    The pupils of Comprehensive High School, Itori, a town on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, were on their way home after school hours when a granite-bearing articulated lorry marked Lagos XZ 628 AKD skidded off the hilly stretch of the expressway and plunged into the valley where the school is situated. It was around 3.36pm.

    The incident triggered a stampede. Students ran for safety as the truck rolled off the hilly road, tumbled several times before falling on some of them. Eight were crushed to death instantly. Five of them were girls.

    Teachers, parents and members of the Itori community stormed the scene as they struggled to rescue the trapped pupils from under the debris of the truck and granite.

    Chairman of Ewekoro Local Government Mr. Dele Soluade, operatives of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the police and the state’s traffic agency, TRACE, were labouring to contain the situation.

    The Itori Unit Commander of the FRSC, Mr Fatai Adesina Bakare, confirmed the death of five pupils. He said their bodies were evacuated to the state hospital’s morgue. He blamed the accident on the recklessness of the truck driver.”

    The council chairman, who rushed off in search of a crane that could untangle the fallen truck and free trapped pupils, returned empty-handed, thereby incensing parents, teachers and the community the more.

    The angry youths and students poured onto the expressway smashing any vehicle in sight.

    Also yesterday, another multiple accident near Ogere on the Lagos – Ibadan expressway left five persons dead and others injured.

    The accident caused a traffic gridlock on the road, triggering the rumour of a robbery. Ogun police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the accident was instigated by a “truck which veered off its lane” and smashed into other vehicles along its path.

    Four other persons also died yesterday at Olodo community in Ogun State on the Abeokuta – Ibadan road when a Toyota Camry car marked JP 602AAA inside which three persons were travelling collided with a Mazda with registration number LAG 984AR. The three persons in the Camry car died on the spot. The driver of the Mazda car died on the way to the hospital.