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Two dead, 12 injured in Ojodu school children accident – Police say
Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday said that two students were killed and 12 injured when a truck rammed into them near their school at Grammar School bus stop, Ojodu, Lagos.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, sparked outrage as angry residents attacked law enforcement officers and the police station where the driver was being held and burned vehicles in the area.
The students attended Babsfafunwa Millenium Senior and Junior Secondary School and are within the ages to 10 to 17.
The chairman of Ojodu local council development area, Odunmbaku David ‘Segun, named the two victims who died.
He said, “Yesterday, December 7, 2021, at about 02:15 pm, a DAF truck with Registration No. APP 438 YA driven by one ‘Bolaji Kabiru’ rammed into some pedestrians at Grammar School Bus Stop along Ogunnusi Road later identified as students of Bab Fafunwa Millennium School, Ojodu Junior Grammar School, Omole Junior High School.
“Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, two students were confirmed dead on the spot. The identity of the deceased are Adedoyin Adebayo and Akpolebi Israel.
“Asides from the two deceased, seven females and five males totalling twelve victims also sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he said.
He added that, “Corpses of the dead students have been evacuated with the support of officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and were deposited at the Morgue of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, for autopsy.
Officials said the students had just finished class when the truck rammed into them. The cause of the accident could not be immediately determined.
Speaking to AFP, Lagos police spokesman, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said, “Two students were killed in the unfortunate incident while 12 others were injured.”
“The erring driver has been apprehended and kept in police custody,” he said.
He said the accident sparked outrage in the area.
“Angry students, who were later joined by hoodlums, set the accidented vehicle ablaze. They also attacked the Ojodu police station in their large number, demanding the release of the driver for jungle justice,” he said.
“When their demand was not met, they became violent. In the process, they destroyed four vehicles parked on the premises of the police station and another mobile truck on the highway.”
The police spokesman said calm had been restored to the Ojodu Berger area.
Femi Oke-Osanyantolu, director general of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said “an unidentified truck lost control and rammed into students returning from school.”
“This unfortunate incident provoked some bystanders into taking the law into their hands,” he said.
Tuesday’s incident happened three days after eight children were found dead inside a parked SUV in Badagry, outside Lagos. They were believed to have died of suffocation.
Accidents are common in Africa’s most populous country because of bad roads, speeding and lack of vehicle maintainance.
