Ojuelegba: LASEMA confirms 9 dead, 1 survivor
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By Oladapo Kolade
Two children and seven adults were crushed to death while waiting to board a bus at Ojuelegba, Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos today when a trailer lost control on the bridge and fell on the road beneath.
Confirming the death to Echonews, general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Services Agency, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency was able to rescue one person from the site of the incident.
The remains of the dead has been deposited at the mortuary of Lagos Island General Hospital,Lagos
The vehicles affected have been towed to the Nigeria Police station in Surulere.
Tragic recurrence
The incident revived fears of commuters over the danger of boarding buses at Ojuelegba due to recurring incidents of trailers falling off the bridge and crushing buses and passengers.
On Saturday, April 2, last year, it was sorrow, tears and blood as passengers died when a trailer fell from the bridge.
Seventeen days later, a truck carrying plywood fell from the bridge and hung for several hours before the LASEMA came to the rescue and saved lives.
Breaking the Law
The accidents are due to the defiance of the traffic law of Lagos State enacted in 2012 which banned articulated vehicles from plying bridges between 6am and 9pm.
Section 2 of the Lagos Traffic Law restricted the movement of trailers and articulated vehicles from travelling within the metropolis within the stipulated time.
But the law has been abused because of its numerous exceptions which allow petrol tankers and long passenger vehicles to pass.
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