Lagos State: Container-Laden Truck Crushes Driver To Death

A man identified as Obinna Nzekwe, has been crushed to death by a fellow truck driver, Ibrahim Shagari, on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos State.

According to a report, the two drivers were driving their container-laden trucks with number plates AKD 180 XP and SMK 402 XS, respectively, when they ran into gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

It was reported that the gridlock saw drivers on the route spending weeks queuing on the road in an effort to get to their various destinations.

The gridlock was said to have caused both drivers and others plying the route to spend weeks queuing on the road in a bid to get to their various destinations.

The duo were driving ahead of each other until they got to the MTN bus stop, where the incident happened and claimed the life of Shagari.

There was a claim that Shagari slept on the bonnet of his truck and when other vehicles in the queue were passed for movement, he was woken up by his motor boy.

An eyewitness, Olayinka Shonibare, said Shagari was trying to gain his balance after jumping down from the bonnet when Nzekwe, who was attempting to drive out of the queue, suddenly reversed and crushed him to death.

Shonibare stated, “The accident happened around 2.00 a.m.; the driver was sleeping on the bonnet of the truck when the vehicles in the queue started moving, so his motor boy woke him up to drive his truck and he quickly jumped down from the bonnet in an attempt to start the engine.”

“But as he jumped down, he was still feeling sleepy and had yet to regain full consciousness when the truck in front of him reversed and crushed him to his truck.”

“I was on the other side of the road and saw how everything happened; when I moved closer to assist, the man had already died, because he was trapped in between the two trucks that were laden with containers.”

“The driver of the truck that caused the accident took off and abandoned Shagari’s lifeless body. Other eyewitnesses and I tried to help him, but he was already dead. We later took the corpse away from the road and dropped it on the kerb.”

An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that Shagari died due to constant gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, adding that most drivers end up being exhausted after spending weeks on the road.

The LASTMA official said, “The vehicle was supposed to move to the front, but space for the driver to move forward was not wide, so he needed to reverse and in the process, crushed Shagari. The accident was caused by the constant gridlock on the road as most of the drivers spend weeks on the road and as a result, sleep in their trucks every day, which is not conducive for them.”

“So, whenever the road is free for movement and the drivers are awakened, most of them are usually too weak to drive. The road is very bad and if there is a breakdown of the vehicle on the road, it affects vehicular movement.”

“About a week ago, construction work was going on the road and vehicular movement was obstructed and the accident happened around that period. But the road has been opened now.”

The spokesperson of the command, Bala Elkana, while speaking on the incident stated that Nzekwe had been arrested.

He further stated that Shagari’s corpse was released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

Elkana stated, “An anonymous caller informed the command that an accident occurred on the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway around the MTN bus stop. So, a team of traffic personnel, who were drafted to the scene, discovered that the driver of a Mack truck, with number plate AKD 180 XP, one Obinna Nzekwe, 47, while trying to reverse his truck, which was in the queue, hit one Ibrahim Shagari, 33, who was standing in between two trucks.

“The victim died on the spot, while Nzekwe has been arrested. The truck involved in the accident has been impounded for VIO inspection, while the corpse was later released to the deceased’s family as they insisted on burial in line with Islamic rites.”