From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A truck conveying cooking gas, yesterday, rammed two commercial cars and two motorcycles at Mokola Roundabout in Ibadan, Oyo State, killing three persons, including a one-year-old child.
Mother of the deceased child, who lives at Sabo, survived the accident, but with a severely injured hand. She is currently receiving treatment with four other injured people at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, while remains of the dead victims have been deposited at Adeoyo Morgue in Ibadan. The dead child was buried yesterday afternoon by the Hausa community at the Ojoo Cemetery in Ibadan. The truck, as gathered, was moving from the Sango axis towards the Mokola Roundabout before the accident occurred some metres to the roundabout. The driver of the truck, according to eyewitnesses, discovered that the vehicle had brake failure when he approached Uncle Joe Bus Stop, and started hooting and shooting brake failure.
But the ever-busy foot of the bridge was not free. It crushed two Micra taxis and two motorcycles, during which three people were killed and five people injured.
The Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Oyo State, Mrs Uche Chukwurah, who confirmed the accident, said seven people were involved in the accident, while two people died and five others were injured.
He said: “Two people died in the accident. I understand brake failure was responsible for the accident. We call it a Mechanical Deficiency Vehicle (MDV), which could cause brake failure. Seven people were involved and two died, five male adults and two female adults. Those who died have been taken to Adeoyo morgue, while those injured are now at University College Hospital (UCH).”
However, an eyewitness, who simply introduced himself as Kunle, said: “I was there. More than two persons were killed in the accident. I saw five corpses myself and I learnt three people were under the truck at that time. They were struggling to remove the corpses when I left there. May God rest their souls.”