11th August, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Two persons have died after a trailer collided with a train on Monday night in Agege area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. The accident occurred around 8:45pm when the driver of the trailer wanted to drive through the rail line even with the deafening horn of the train.
There was a loud ‘bang’ as the trailer collided with the train causing pandemonium in the densely populated area as people scampered to safety.
Two persons who were hanging on to the train were said to have fallen off and died immediately due to the sudden contact and impact of the train with the trailer, with the registration number YOBE PKM 180 XA.
The accident led to traffic gridlock in Agege and its environs as motorists spent over four hours navigating through the area. Motorists who got wind of the accident through via Lagos State Traffic Radio took alternative routes to avert being caught in the gridlock.
It took several hours before the police, officers of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and others could remove the train and the trailer from the road to allow other motorists to navigate.
As at Tuesday morning, a crowd still formed in the area with people discussing the accident while the trailer was impounded and parked in front of the Railway Police Station.
General Manager, LASEMA, Michael Akindele confirmed to PM NEWS this morning that two persons hanging on the train lost their lives when they fell off as a result of the impact of the trailer on the train.
He gave the name of the deceased as Saka Nagim and Segun Adebambo, appealing to Lagosians to value their lives and stopped hanging on trains.
Akindele said the train was coming from Ikeja while the trailer coming from Okekoto towards Pen Cinema wanted to push through the rail line before the train ramped on it.
However, eye witnesses said the driver of the trailer absconded when the accident occurred while his second was arrested and detained by the police.