Dangote truck crushes pregnant woman, child, others to death in Ondo

A tragic accident on Wednesday night claimed nine lives in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, after a cement-laden truck lost control and rammed into residents.

Among the victims were a pregnant woman, her mother, and her child, who were tragically crushed near the main gate of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA), close to the well-known Holy Trinity Church.

Eyewitnesses said the truck, reportedly loaded with Dangote Cement and travelling from Obajana in Kogi State, experienced brake failure before it veered off the road and ploughed into traders and pedestrians in the busy university community.

Emergency responders and local residents reportedly worked late into the night to recover the bodies and clear the wreckage.

Infuriated by the incident, enraged sympathisers blamed that accident on the removal of the barricade earlier mounted to prevent articulated vehicles from accessing the community.

The sympathisers, who thronged the accident scene, lamented that the tragedy has brought back painful memories of previous accidents in the area, which have claimed many lives over the years.

According to one of the sources, “Some boys in the community had been using the barricade erected to extort N10,000 from the truck drivers before allowing them to pass through. The government turned blind eyes.”

While confirming the incident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in the state, Ibitoye, stated eight people lost their lives in the accident.

He said, “The deceased persons include five males, two females and one child. The truck ran into a barricade in front of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, and lost control, resulting in the crash.”