12th August, 2011
Dangote Sugar Refinery Company has described the reports presented by the Vehicle Inspector Officer, VIO and the Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC on the fatal multiple accidents involving one of its trucks on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in August 2010 as confusing.
Mr. Jibrin Baba, a mechanical engineer with the company stated this while testifying at the on-going coroner’s inquest into the accident which claimed several lives on 15 August, 2010.
Baba was giving evidence before the District Coroner, Mr. Tajudeen Elias at a Lagos Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja.
The FRSC report dated August 24, 2010 which was signed by Mr. D.A. Garba, Assistant Corps Marshall, had claimed that the accident was caused because of brake failure by the Dangote truck.
The report which was published in some national dailies also claimed that the driver of the said truck was on high speed when the accident occurred, which made him ran into other vehicles resulting in an inferno.
Similarly, a report dated August. 15, 2010 which was signed by Mr. Akojenu Semako, Board Traffic Officer, Lagos State Vehicle Inspector Unit, also claimed that the Dangote vehicle involved in the accident was not roadworthy.
However, Baba told the court that the truck which was driven by Salisu Lawal was serviced less than a month before it was involved in the accident.
He tendered the Job Card in respect of the said truck dated 8, July 2010 which was admitted by the court as Exhibit W.
The witness said the trucks in the fleet of the company were imported from America and were made by Freight Liner, carrying Detroit engines.
Baba said the reports claimed that the vehicle involved was a MAC truck which was not being used by the company.
On the VIO report marked as Exhibit Q, he claimed that the vehicle was in a good working condition before the accident, adding that it had a diesel engine which would normally prevent it from bursting into flames in accident situations.
Under cross-examination by counsel to Access to Justice, Mr. Leonard Dibia, Baba maintained that the Brake Shoe marked as Exhibit F4 was not from the company’s truck.
He further said it was unlikely that the vehicle had a break failure because the skid marks on the road was an indication that the brake was still working when the accident occurred.
The witness told the court that he last saw Lawal, the driver of the ill-fated truck on July 14, 2010 , alluding that he may have died in the resulting fire outbreak.
The inquest has been adjourned till 12, August for submission of written addresses.
—Tunmise ige