CRIME NEWS

9 killed in Sango auto crashes

By Evelyn Usman & Daud Olatunji

SANGO-OTA — Nine persons perished in a multiple auto crash that occurred in the early hours of yesterday at Sango-Ota, Old Toll Gate end of the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway. Several others sustained varying degree of injuries.
However, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, said only five persons died in the incident.
The first, it was gathered, occurred at about 12.10 am, at Toll Gate, Ota after a truck fully loaded with cement, apparently had a brake failure. Efforts by the truck driver to control it failed as it reportedly veered off its lane and rammed into some vehicles.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the the accident was caused by a team of policemen on illegal duty. They alleged that the policemen stopped several commercial buses, extorting money from them. It was further alleged that one of the commercial bus drivers who was stopped, did not have N100 notes with him.
Sources said: “The driver came out of the bus to look for N200 change, his bus was not properly parked. Almost immediately, a truck belonging to Lafarge company that was coming from Sango, inward Lagos, on top speed rammed into the vehicles stopped by the police.”
The truck, which was on its way from Dalemo bus-stop uphill area reportedly dragged eight vehicles from the slope at the toll gate, before it came to a halt in front of a filling station. In the process, two of the vehicles fell into a stream.
Five passengers in the vehicles were said to have been crushed while four said to have been pulled out of the wreckage in an unconscious state, were rushed to the hospital.
A pedestrian, identified simply as Kazeem, said to have been waiting to board a bus, was also killed.
Vehicles involved were three Ford buses with number plates BDJ413XA, FST 75 XA and AAA 688 XA; two Volkwagen buses with number plates APP827XF and EKY488XM; a Toyota Hilux patrol van belonging to the Rapid Response Squad; a Mazda car with number plates SMK892CB and a Sinotruk truck.
Another crash
Six hours later, another auto crash occurred at the same location, involving eight vehicles, in which four persons were feared dead. Its cause was also suspected to be break failure.
Vehicles involved included a Mitsubishi station wagon with number plate KTU 824 DS, a Toyota Corolla with number plate AK D221 BQ, an Iveco truck with number plate KRD 215 XB, two Volkwagen buses with number plates AAA 955 and BDG886 XE, a Honda Accord with number plate LND 525 BF, two Toyota SUVs with number plates LSD 989 CQ and EKY45CV.
An eye witness, who simply gave his name as Dele, said “three persons were brought out of some of the vehicles dead before the arrival of policemen and FRSC officials.”
Three persons said to have sustained injuries were also rushed to an undisclosed hospital. Identities of some of the deceased were given as Mr Oloyede Tunde, Mr. Richard and Mr. Kazeem
Commercial bus drivers protest
Pained by the death of their colleagues, commercial bus drivers took to the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, protesting. The situation, which was hijacked by hoodlums, took a violent dimension as they attacked drivers of articulated vehicles plying the ever busy express-way, smashing their windscreens. This forced motorists to hurriedly make u-turns.
The rampaging protesters also prevented officials of the FRSC, who visited the scene, from clearing the wreckage of the affected vehicles to allow free flow of traffic.
It, however, took the intervention of policemen comprising the Mobile Police Squad and conventional policemen from the Sango Area Command, to contain the situation.
FRSC Unit Commander, Leye Adegboyega, said: ”The rescue operation was, therefore, carried out under my watch and those of the Divisional Police Officers of Sango, Ija Alagbado and the Zonal Commander.
“Four injured men were conveyed to the General Hospital, Ota with the police patrol vehicle out of which one later died. The remaining four dead bodies, two males and two females, were evacuated from the scene and deposited at the morgue of the same hospital by men of the FRSC, bringing the number of deaths to five: three males and two females.
“In the second accident which occurred at 0640hrs at the same location, eight persons—six males and two females — were involved. The three injured, two males and a female, opted to seek treatment elsewhere.”
“Efforts were made to remove some of the damaged vehicles from the road to avoid further crash. The team returned to the base after the road had been cleared of obstructions.”
[Vanguard]