Three Junior Secondary School students and one commercial motorcyclist, popularly called Okada rider, were on Tuesday crushed to death by a commercial truck.
The incident happened on the Abanla–Idi-Ayunre road in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State when the students were going to school in the morning.
The driver of a commercial truck operating in the area, according to report, rammed into the motorcycle carrying the three students after a failed attempt to overtake another vehicle and crushed them.
The driver of the truck reportedly ran away from the accident scene immediately.
One of the eyewitnesses, Akinola Owoeye, said, “The commercial motorcyclist and two students died immediately while the third student was eventually pronounced dead at a nearby hospital where he was rushed to.”
Another eyewitness, who did want her name in print, said, “The truck fatally crushed the commercial motorcycle carrying the three students, all at once. All of them, including the rider, are dead now.”
Witnesses further said that distraught students poured into the streets shortly after the incident, blocking the road and demanding justice and urgent government intervention.
It was also learnt that emotions ran high as other commercial motorcyclists and residents joined in solidarity, condemning the recurring danger posed by heavy-duty vehicles on the route.
The LG chairman, Akeem Olatunji, who quickly rushed to the scene, confirmed the accident.
While expressing deep sorrow over the loss of the young lives, the chairman condemned the recklessness of some trailer drivers operating in the area and commercial motorcyclists in their rush for quick money.
He explained that if the commercial motorcyclists had adhered to all necessary traffic rules including the number of passengers allowed, the rider would have been able to navigate and manoeuvre his way to prevent the ghastly accident from occurring.
Olatunji, therefore, assured the families of the students that justice would be served on the case as the council would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the driver was found and brought to book.
The chairman also assured the public that the construction company that owns the truck would be made to compensate the bereaved families.
“This is one tragedy too many. I can only imagine what the parents and families of these future leaders are going through emotionally, psychologically, and physically, right now. I’m a father and I can tell it is better imagined.
“We cannot continue to lose our children to preventable road accidents due to reckless drivers and riders who are bent on violating our laws at will,” he lamented.
He, therefore, directed that speed bumps be constructed on the road without delay, saying “We must take firm steps to slow down these trailers and protect our people, especially schoolchildren.”
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