Ogun State was on Friday thrown into mourning after two separate road tragedies claimed lives, leaving residents in shock and anger.
In Yewa South Local Government Area, a Dangote Cement truck lost control and rammed into a tricycle at the Alapoka axis of the Papalanto–Ilaro Road, killing five people instantly.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the crash occurred at about 8:30pm when the truck’s brakes failed, causing it to crush the tricycle and its passengers.
The ill-fated vehicles were identified as an unregistered tricycle and a Dangote truck with registration number GRZ 767 XA.
Akinbiyi explained that TRACE officials, led by Acting Head Adedayo Omonayajo and Ilaro Divisional Commander Salako Idowu, rushed to the scene for a rescue operation. However, the officials narrowly escaped mob attack by enraged residents before the Amotekun Corps intervened to restore calm.
“The presumed dead were taken to the morgue by Federal Road Safety Corps officials,” Akinbiyi stated.
Another Black Friday on Ogun Roads: Tanker Inferno Razes Lives, Vehicles, and Power Lines
Earlier that same day, tragedy also struck on the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway, where a fuel-laden tanker crashed and went up in flames at midnight, claiming an unconfirmed number of lives.
According to TRACE, the 30,000-litre tanker, laden with petrol, fell on its side around 1:00am along the Abeokuta–Kobape–Siun–Sagamu Interchange after reportedly speeding and losing control.
The resulting inferno spread rapidly, consuming a truck and a tow vehicle, while also destroying a PHCN cable supplying electricity to Mowe and surrounding communities.
Rescue operations were carried out by TRACE, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Police, and fire service units from the state and Nestlé PLC. Authorities said emergency teams were still on the ground as of press time to quench the fire, decant the fuel, and restore normalcy.
While casualty figures from the tanker explosion remain uncertain, eyewitnesses described the scenes as horrific and chaotic, with families searching desperately for missing loved ones.
The double tragedies have sparked outrage among residents, who are demanding stricter enforcement of road safety regulations and corporate accountability, especially against companies whose heavy trucks frequently ply Ogun roads.
“These accidents keep happening, and nothing changes. Families are being wiped out on our roads,” one distraught resident lamented.
With five confirmed dead in Yewa South and more feared lost in the tanker inferno, Friday will go down as yet another bloody day on Ogun highways, underscoring Nigeria’s deepening road safety crisis.
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