The Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to all operators of articulated vehicles, tankers, and trucks, urging strict adherence to traffic regulations and speed limits.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, conveyed the warning in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Giwa’s statement was prompted by a recent crash at the crest of Apakun Bridge, inward Oshodi, involving a heavy-duty truck transporting Compressed Natural Gas and a privately owned vehicle.
The Lagos State Government warned that it would “not hesitate to unleash the full weight of the law on any individual found culpable of endangering human lives through reckless or unlawful driving practices.”
Preliminary security assessments revealed that the truck, with registration number EKY 120 YK, was speeding in violation of traffic safety regulations and collided with a moving silver-colored Toyota Corolla (EKY 289 HM).
“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 explained.
He added, “In the unfortunate aftermath of the incident, two unsuspecting pedestrians were struck in the course of the collision, while the driver of the Toyota Corolla sustained grave and debilitating injuries.”
Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority promptly arrived at the scene, rescuing and extricating the victims from the wreckage.
“The affected pedestrians and the injured driver were swiftly conveyed to a nearby medical facility, where they are presently undergoing intensive and life-preserving medical treatment,” Giwa said.
To ensure public safety and maintain order during the rescue and evacuation, personnel from the Ajao Estate Police Division provided robust security reinforcement.
“This forestalled secondary incidents and ensured an unhindered and seamless emergency response,” he added.
Recognizing the risks posed by the truck’s highly combustible cargo, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were also strategically deployed to the site.
Giwa further condemned the alarming frequency of road traffic accidents caused by reckless speeding, particularly by operators of trucks, tankers, and other articulated vehicles.
He described such behavior 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.”
