Barely two days after nine lives were lost in an accident involving a container-laden truck and a minibus at Ojuelegba, Lagos, another accident involving a truck and four tricycles claimed two lives while four were rescued in Ikotun area of Lagos.

The General Manager,  Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, who made the disclosure said that the authority rescued four of the accident victims while two died in the accident.

Speaking through the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq in Lagos on Tuesday, Oreagba affirmed that they rescued the four victims inside mini commercial buses (tricycles) around Ikotun area of Lagos.

“The accident which occurred around 12:30 pm today involved a fully loaded container truck (JJJ 125) and 4 mini commercial buses (tricycles) with registration nos (LSD 83 QM), (AKD 690 QK) & (AKL 87 QF).

“The driver of one of the mini commercial buses (tricycles) with one passenger died instantly.

“Those four rescued accident victims by LASTMA personnel were two pregnant women and two children.

“LASTMA personnel immediately handed over those rescued victims to Policemen from Ikotun Police Station who took them to General Hospital for treatment,” Oreagba said.

According to him,  preliminary investigation revealed that the fully loaded truck (JJJ 125) had a brake failure and crushed three tricycles in a valley around Synagogue when going towards Ikotun.

Oreagba added that the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) immediately moved the tanker with those crushed tricycles to Ikotun Police Station.

He further said that other emergency responders including the Nigerian Policemen from Ikotun Police Station were at the scene of the accident.

The General Manager of LASTMA however warned tanker owners and drivers to always ensure that their trucks were properly checked and in good condition before embarking on any journey.

Fire on Monday gutted a twin building in Clobek Crown Estate, Lugbe in Abuja destroying property worth millions of Naira.

A correspondent who witnessed the incident said that the fire which was reported to have started around 4.00 p.m. was put off later when fire servicemen arrived.

No life was also lost in the incident.

Speaking on the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the estate who gave her name as Mrs. O. Aladesanmi said that the fire started with a spark from the roof of one of the twin buildings and spread to the other.

Aladesanmi said all efforts employed by neighbours including the use of fire extinguishers, water and other materials to put off the fire were unsuccessful.

She, however, alleged that the fire service men did not respond on time when a distress call was sent to them while she called for a change of attitude from them.

“The fire started from the roof with a spark and people around tried to put it off to no avail.

“One does not have control over electricity fire. Power supply has been unstable, and people have been careful with their appliances. Power just started stabilising a little,” she said.

Mr. Clement Adamson, Superintendent of Fire, Federal Fire Service, Sauka, Abuja who was on ground to put off the fire, said the service got a distress call during closing hour and was able to put off the fire and prevented it from spreading to other buildings.

Adamson urged residents to be fire conscious and ensure they have fire extinguishers in their houses.

“Fire is not a bomb that explodes, but starts from somewhere. It can be cut off from a point to stop it from spreading,” he said.

Adamson who said he could not presently ascertain the amount of damage called on the estate residents to ensure they do a risk assessment in the area to be able to know what should and not be done to avoid future outbreaks.

Narrating her experience, Mrs. Mabel Ujata, who lives in one of the affected flats said she noticed that the PVC in her house was cracking and when she came out, she saw smoke from her neighbour’s building.

Ujata said that with the help of people around, she was able to save a few things from her house from being burnt before the firefighters arrived.

She urged the firefighters to always respond on time when they receive distress calls adding that if they had responded on time, more of the property would have been saved.

Against the backdrop of the Ojuelegba Sunday container accident, during which nine persons died, the Council of Transport Unions and Association (COMTUA) has insisted on the right checks being done on vehicles before certification, as a way of averting future accidents.

A truck carrying a container lost control on Sunday, by the Ojuelegba bridge, and slam its container onto a bus carrying passengers, killing four male adults, three female adults and two babies.

In a swift reaction on Monday over the accident, the COMTUA in a press statement signed by its National President, Comrade Adeyinka Aroyewun expressed the association’s pains and regret, particularly, on the frequency of accidents involving its members’ trucks, the deaths, injuries and loss that results from it.

It further expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and prayed that God would give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

COMTUA stated that it was ready to cooperate and support the government in all areas and plans to address the persistent problem of accidents on the roads, especially the continuous fall of container boxes.

“We shall strengthen our regulation and control on our members to ensure that safety is not compromised in all our dealings,” the press statement said.

It reiterated its regrets over the unfortunate incident and promised to support the government to ensure safer roads for motorists.