Truck rams into herd of cattle, two persons die

Two persons died on Sunday after a truck loaded with sand rammed into a herd of cattle being led by Fulani herdsmen around 2am at the Obada Oko end of the old Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The victims were the driver of the truck and his assistant, popularly called motor boy.

It was learnt that the truck, with number plate, KJA 168 XP, was travelling outwards Abeokuta, when the accident occurred.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi, said as the driver of the tipper saw the herd of cattle crossing the expressway late, he panicked and lost control.

He added that he ran into the herd and killed one cow, before skidding into the bush.

He said, “The accident happened around 2am on Sunday at Obada Oko, along the old Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

“The report we got indicated that some Fulani herdsmen and their herd of cattle were crossing from one side of the road to the other, and the driver of the truck, who was travelling out of Abeokuta, saw them too late and he swerved into the bush. Sadly, the driver and his motor boy died in the process. The vehicle also killed one of the cows.”

Akinbiyi said the driver of another truck with number plate, TRE 270 XA, also travelling on the road, lost control on getting to the accident scene. He added that the driver of the truck, however, swerved to the other lane, before returning to its normal lane.

He said the remains of the victims had been deposited at the morgue of the Ifo General Hospital in the Ifo Local Government Area, while the two trucks had been towed down to the Adigbe Police Station.

Meanwhile, no fewer than five people were injured in another auto crash at the Warewa end of the Lagos Ibadan-Expressway.

While a motorist said the accident was caused by the carcass of a cow that was on the long bridge, a police source said a Dangote truck driver caused the accident.

The police source said the Dangote truck driver had parked on the bridge to urinate, when his colleague, who saw him, suddenly pulled up behind him.

He said, ‘The Dangote truck driver parked on the bridge to urinate. His friend, who was on speed, suddenly pressed the brake pedal when he was close to him and stopped.

Punch