The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, has cleared two major truck incidents that disrupted vehicular movement along Ikorodu Road and the National-Ashade corridor, restoring normal traffic flow and preventing possible secondary accidents.
The first incident occurred on September 20 along the Palmgrove inward Obanikoro section of Ikorodu Road, after LASEMA received a distress alert at about 5:53 p.m. The agency’s Cobra Response Team stationed at Onipanu was immediately deployed to the scene, where a loaded mixer truck belonging to Ecocrete Construction Company was found lying sideways across the BRT corridor following a lone accident.
Preliminary findings indicated that reckless driving and overspeeding may have contributed to the incident. No casualty was recorded, while the truck driver reportedly left the scene after the accident. LASEMA, working with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the area, managed traffic and commenced recovery operations to remove the truck from the BRT corridor.
Later that night, at about 11:21 p.m., LASEMA’s Eagle Response Team stationed at Cappa responded to another truck incident at National, Ashade. A MACK truck carrying two 20-foot containers had broken down while attempting to make a U-turn after a tyre burst caused the vehicle to tilt, blocking about 80 per cent of the roadway.
Responders immediately secured the area and introduced traffic diversion measures while heavy-duty recovery equipment was mobilised. With support from a private crane, two forklifts and LASEMA’s lowbed, the containers were recovered and transferred to the agency’s lowbed, while the MACK truck was towed to the LASTMA yard in Oshodi.
LASEMA said the road was subsequently fully cleared and reopened to traffic. No deaths or injuries were recorded in either incident.
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, commended the Cobra and Eagle Response Teams, alongside collaborating agencies, for their swift and coordinated intervention. He said the response helped prevent prolonged gridlock and reduce the risk of further accidents.
Oke-Osanyintolu also urged operators of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles to properly maintain their vehicles, comply with speed limits and traffic regulations, and exercise caution on Lagos roads. He encouraged residents to report emergencies promptly through the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines for immediate response.
