Not long ago,three occupants of a sleek new model black Honda Accord
car with Lagos registration number had a collision with a truck.The car
somersaulted several times before coming to a halt,while a middle aged
man,clad in brown native attire survived the accident with serious
bruises,the other two occupants,a lady and another man died instantly.
On the same day,at another spot along the road,some hundreds of
meters to Ogere,a town along the expressway,two towing trucks made
spirited efforts to rescue another truck,which found its way into a very
deep pit,beside the expressway.
Curiously, investigations reveal that it is always celebration time
for residents of villages along the road,when trucks conveying
consumable and valuable products are involved in accidents.
One of such incidents,was when a petrol tanker fully loaded with
petroleum products got involved in a ghastly accident which resulted in
the spillage of its contents. Inhabitants of the villages near the scene
trooped out in their hundreds to scoop fuel.
Sadly,although the regular and anti-riot policemen are noticeable at
different spots on the road,their presence might be to fulfill personal
desires, rather than get involved in rescue operations for accident
victims and the arrest of looters at accident spots.
A resident of Sapade,Moshood Ariyo,insists that the poverty in the
land has driven a lot of Nigerians into contriving ways of survival.”A
number of accidents along the road involving trailers conveying
goods,are the handiwork of people with intentions to steal the goods.In
the case of accidents involving other vehicles,the thieves rob the
victims”,Ariyo disclosed.
He,however called on the law enforcement agencies to check the trend,before it becomes institutionalized.
Investigations also reveal that trailer and tanker drivers have for a
long time now,converted the expressway to garages.Instances abound at
Ogere and the Ibafo axis of the road. This, to a great extent has
contributed to the road carnage.
Also,the reckless nature of commercial bus drivers already high on
intoxicants,has sent the drivers and countless number of passengers to
their early graves.
When this magazine visited a number of motor parks including the one
at Ojota,Lagos and Iwo road,Ibadan,the urgent need to be intoxicated
before embarking on any journey appears to be a major consideration.
This has resulted in passengers continuously controlling the driving style of the drivers all through the journey.
Sadly,the activities of kidnappers and ritualists have contributed a
great deal to the almost helpless situation. With their focus on
passengers,who cannot afford the transport fares at the various
parks,they lower theirs to attract people hanging along the expressway.
Once inside the vehicle,the unsuspecting passengers are driven to
unknown destinations,after they might have been hypnotized.There
have been several reported cases of abduction for ritual purposes along
the expressway.
While some have been fortunate to escape,others have never been seen again,after their abduction.
With the situation already becoming worrisome and frightening, even
though the repair work on the expressway has gone a long way to reduce
accidents on the road,,it is the hope that the law enforcement agencies
would live up to expectation,while passengers look on to God for
protection.
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