A tragic accident occurred on Friday in the Ikangba area of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, when a truck reportedly lost control and struck students of Seico Secondary School.
The incident resulted in the death of a female student who was sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and critically injured another student.
The accident happened along the newly rehabilitated Ikangba/Agoro Road as the students were returning home after completing their exams for the day. Mr. Eko Nicholas, a resident and chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), said that the truck, coming from the Molipa end, suddenly veered off its lane and collided with the students before crashing into the fence of a nearby Redeemed Christian Church of God parish.
“Nobody knows what exactly caused the truck to veer off the road, but it ran into the students coming from the opposite direction. The truck eventually crashed into the fence of a Redeemed church beside the road,” Nicholas said.
He confirmed that the students were clearly WASSCE candidates as they were holding their question papers. “One of them, a female student, died on the spot, while another female was critically injured. We are all praying for her survival,” he added.
Nicholas lamented the increasing number of accidents on the road since its rehabilitation, attributing the recurring crashes to the absence of speed breakers or road bumps. “Since February, we have lost six lives to accidents on this road, not to mention the many others who have been injured,” he said, urging the government to install safety measures to prevent further tragedies.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Mr. Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident, stating, “Yes, the incident has been confirmed. One school pupil died in the crash.”
