The Lagos government has warned all operators of articulated vehicles, tankers, and trucks to comply with traffic laws and speed limits.
The special adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on transportation, Sola Giwa, gave the warning in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
He was responding to a crash caused by speeding, involving a heavy-duty truck conveying compressed natural gas and a privately owned motor vehicle, which occurred at the crest of Apakun Bridge, inward Oshodi.
The Lagos government, he warned, 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.
Mr Giwa said that preliminary security assessments indicated that the truck, bearing (EKY 120 YK), was speeding and in violation of established traffic safety standards, and rammed into a moving silver-coloured 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.
“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,” Mr Giwa said.
He noted that officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority promptly mobilised to the scene and effectively rescued and extricated the injured victims from the wreckage.
Mr Giwa said 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.
To safeguard public safety and maintain order throughout the rescue and evacuation operations, he added that personnel of the Ajao Estate Police Division provided robust security reinforcement.
“This forestalled secondary incidents and ensured an unhindered and seamless emergency response.
“Also, in recognition of the inherent danger posed by the truck’s highly combustible cargo, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were strategically deployed to the scene.
Mr Giwa condemned the alarming frequency of road traffic accidents occasioned by reckless speeding, particularly among operators of trucks, tankers and other articulated vehicles.
He described such conduct as egregiously irresponsible, dangerously negligent, and wholly antithetical to the Lagos government’s overarching aspiration to foster a safe, orderly, and efficiently regulated transportation ecosystem.
(NAN)