Policeman killed, 5 injured as truck rams into vehicles

THE Ogun State Sector of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, yesterday, confirmed the death of a police officer on duty, in a road accident reportedly caused by a speeding truck belonging to a cement factory in the state.

FRSC in a statement by its spokesperson in Ogun State, Florence Okpe, said five other persons were injured in the crash on Abeokuta-Lagos highway, Tuesday night.

Okpe said nine vehicles were involved in the crash, including the cement company’s truck, a tipper, a yellow bus, an armoured tank, a Toyota RAV4 and three motorcycles.

She explained that eight persons, seven male adults and one female adult, were involved in the crash, while four male adults and one female adult were injured, adding: “One person was killed, while two were unhurt.”

The FRSC blamed the crash on speeding and wrongful overtaking by the truck driver, who was said have lost control and crashed into other vehicles from the rear. She said the truck later plunged into the river.

According to Okpe, the Toyota RAV4 car went up in flames due to the impact of the collision, noting that the fire was extinguished with the help of a filling station’s fire extinguisher, but some motorcycles were burnt.

Okpe said: “The injured victims were taken to the General Hospital, Ota. One person identified as a police officer, who was on duty, got injured and was also taken to the hospital by the FRSC rescue team, but he later died.” 

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, has sympathised with the victims’ families, advising motorists to always obey traffic rules.