Tragedy occurred at the busy Badagry Roundabout in Lagos on Monday as a cement-laden truck rammed into a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officer and two commercial motorcyclists, killing them on the spot.
The sad event happened at about 9 am on Monday.
An eyewitness told BH that the truck was approaching the junction at top speed when it suddenly lost control, swerved off its lane and crushed the victims in the process.
“The LASTMA officer was controlling the traffic when he lost control and was suddenly crushed on the spot.
The two motorcyclists were also affected while they were waiting to pick up passengers,” the eyewitness said.
A police source at the scene of the accident said the incident resulted in gridlock in the area.
“Other LASTMA officials were mobilised to the scene of the incident due to their affected colleague. Our men were also on the ground, as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps, to manage the situation,” he added.
The officer, however, confirmed that the driver was immediately apprehended and taken into custody.
He added that the remains of the victims had been evacuated to a hospital mortuary, while the truck was impounded for further investigation.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday, the unit commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Yusuf Sanni, confirmed the incident, stating that the driver had been arrested.
“The driver has been taken to Badagry Police Station,” Sanni said, attributing the crash to a loss of control and urging motorists to avoid the area.
He added that the victims’ remains had been deposited at the hospital mortuary, while the truck involved was impounded at the police station.