A mother and her child have died after two container-laden trucks overturned at Mile 2, near Freeman Market, inward Apapa, Lagos State.
The Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to Taofiq, the victims were trapped beneath the overturned trucks and their containers, sustaining fatal injuries.
He described the incident as devastating, noting that LASTMA rescue and recovery personnel were deployed to the scene to evacuate the victims, remove the trucks and manage traffic.
The statement read, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority over the weekend responded to a devastating road traffic incident at Mile 2, by Freeman Market, inward Apapa, in which a mother and her child lost their lives following the overturning of two heavily laden 20-foot containerised trucks.
“The harrowing incident left both victims trapped beneath the overturned trucks and their massive containerised cargoes, sustaining catastrophic injuries that rendered their remains unrecognisable.”
Taofiq explained that the affected road was temporarily cordoned off, while motorists were diverted through an adjoining service lane to prevent traffic congestion and secondary accidents.
He added that LASTMA deployed a crane and a high-capacity tow vehicle to remove the overturned trucks and their containers.
Police officers also provided security during the recovery operation, while the victims’ remains were taken to the Police Mortuary in Yaba for necessary procedures.
Reacting to the tragedy, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the bereaved family and called for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Bakare-Oki urged relevant security agencies to determine whether mechanical defects, overloading, improper cargo distribution, driver negligence or other factors contributed to the incident.
He also called on truck operators to comply strictly with road safety regulations, carry out regular vehicle inspections and ensure that their cargoes were properly secured before embarking on journeys.
“The preservation of human life remains paramount,” he said, urging motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty articulated vehicles, to ensure their vehicles were roadworthy and complied with prescribed safety standards.
The LASTMA boss stressed that responsible driving and proper vehicle maintenance were essential to preventing avoidable deaths on Lagos roads.
In a related development, it was reported on Thursday that a motorboy was killed while three other people, including a truck driver, sustained injuries after a cement-laden trailer crashed along Mile 6, Ajebo Road, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The accident reportedly occurred on Wednesday at Agbedejobi village after the trailer suffered brake failure while descending a bridge.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the driver lost control while attempting to avoid a vehicle ahead.
The trailer subsequently rammed into a ditch before veering onto a railway track, spilling its cement cargo into a nearby bush.
The two incidents have again drawn attention to the dangers posed by heavy-duty vehicles on Nigerian roads and the importance of regular vehicle maintenance and strict compliance with road safety regulations.
