Three persons lost their lives on Monday night in a fatal road accident near the Ogba River Bridge in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The victims a commercial motorcyclist, popularly known as an Okada rider, and his two passengers were killed instantly when an SUV rammed into them.
Eyewitnesses said the driver of the SUV, alleged to be a suspected internet fraudster (Yahoo Yahoo boy), was speeding when he lost control of the vehicle, veered off course, and crushed the Okada rider and his passengers.
The driver was at top speed. The car began to swerve, and before he could regain control, he ran over the Okada rider and his two passengers, an eyewitness told JUSTNEWSLINE
The tragic incident sparked a protest by Okada riders and colleagues of the deceased along Airport Road, who alleged that many such fatal accidents in the area were linked to reckless driving by suspected fraudsters.
One of the protesters, Abdullahi Usman, identified the deceased as the union secretary of their association.
These Yahoo Yahoo boys do not care about other people on the road. The accident was very severe. It took the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer of Estate Police Station to calm us down. We are calling on the police to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the culprit to book, Usman said.
While the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Matthew Zango, could not be reached for comments, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, confirmed the accident.
I can confirm that the Okada rider and his two passengers died in the crash. Investigation is ongoing to ensure anyone found culpable is brought to justice, Yamu stated.
Meanwhile, in Ogun State, six people narrowly escaped death in another crash that occurred along the Siun axis of the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway on Monday evening.
According to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the accident involved a Toyota Avensis with plate number GGE 301 JX and a black Lexus with plate number GGE 210 FV.
A traffic update from TRACE explained:
A minor road traffic accident occurred at Olorunsogo, inbound Siun Sagamu highway, at about 3:20 p.m. on Monday. The Lexus, reportedly speeding, rammed into the Toyota from behind. Six adult males were involved, but no deaths or injuries were recorded. The vehicles have since been cleared to avoid gridlock.
The incident comes just weeks after the Federal Road Safety Corps warned motorists against excessive speeding, citing it as a leading cause of crashes in Ogun State.
In a related development, a Togolese driver was arrested in Lagos on Tuesday after allegedly attempting to flee the scene of an accident at Adeniji-Adele, where he knocked down a pedestrian while speeding.
These recurring crashes continue to raise concerns about reckless driving, particularly overspeeding, on major highways across the South-West region.