13th July, 2017
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has returned N159,500 out of the N278, 500 it recovered from an accident scene in Ogun to the survivors and relatives of the deceased passengers.
The FRSC Unit Commander in Sagamu, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, said on Thursday that it handed over the amount to the survivors and relatives of the deceased after they had presented police reports and affidavits from the court.
Abdullahi listed the recipients as : Mr Samuel Adeyemo,; Mr Oladipupo Folami and Mr Babatunde Olawale, the bus driver.
He told NAN that the money was recovered on July 6 from the scene of an accident at Kajola town along the Abeokuta/Sagamu Expressway.
He said that the accident that involved a red Mack Tipper marked LND 564 XR and a Mazda bus marked TRE 556 XA claimed the lives of 10 passengers among those on board.
Abdullahi said that the deceased passengers were made up of four males and six females that included a child.
According to him, five male and two female passengers who sustained various degrees of injury were taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu for treatment.
NAN reports that the FRSC gave assurance that it would disburse the remaining sum to the remaining claimants after it would have completed its due diligence on their identities.
The FRSC boss quoting witnesses’ accounts said that the accident was caused by the driver of the tipper, loaded with granite, and speeding.
“According to witnesses, the bus was parked by the road side when the tipper came crashing into it crushing all the occupants.
“It was gathered that the Mazda bus travelling to Ago-Iwoye from Ota, stopped at Kajola for some of its passengers to relieve themselves.
“Suddenly; the truck lost control, veered into where the bus was parked and fell on it.
“Those with injuries were fortunate not to be inside the bus when it happened; else they would have lost their lives too,” Abdullahi quoted the witnesses sating.
The commander advised commuters to always be conscious of their environment while in transit, especially, when parked along the roads.
He also advised drivers and passengers to always be vigilant while on the road.Also, the Ogun State FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Clement Oladele had appealed to truck owners to check the spate of crashes involving trucks.
Oladele made the appeal when he met with the executive members of the Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN), Ogun Chapter.
He said that truck owners should always ensure a proper registration of their trucks.
They must also ensure adequate that their trucks are captured under the FRSC Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS) and install speed limiters on them.
The commander advised truck owners to ensure they also carried out comprehensive training for their truck drivers
He expressed the readiness of the commission to collaborate with the transporters to avert carnage in the state.