A middle-aged female pedestrian has been killed by a 40-feet trailer with a faulty brake system on Thursday evening along Ezeiweka axis of the Onitsha-Owerri Road, Anambra.
The development was confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Anambra, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, on Friday.
His words, “According to eyewitnesses, the trailer was parked while goods were being offloaded from its container and all of a sudden, it rolled off without the driver inside. It hit and trapped the woman.
“The FRSC rescue team from Upper-Iweka Outpost with the Awada Police team made efforts to get a crane to lift the 40-feet container, but the trapped victim was already dead.
“The Awada Police Division is making efforts to arrest the driver of the trailer who escaped.
“And as of this morning, we are still making efforts to clear the obstruction and ensure free traffic flow.”
The commander condoled with the family of the dead and warned motorists to desist from disobeying traffic regulations.
“Adhere to minimum safety standards with regular maintenance of your vehicles to avert this kind of crash.
“Drive to save your life and the lives of others on the road,” he said.
However, in a swift reaction, the Public Relations Officer of the state correctional service, Adegbulugbe Phillip Olumide, in a statement alleged that “suspected hoodlums attempted to free inmates” during their movement to the court.
In a separate development, another fuel-laden tanker caught fire in Ogun State on Friday, making it the fourth in two days.
Earlier, two tankers had crashed in Abeokuta and one other along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, between Wednesday and Thursday.
NIGERIACRIME reports that the recent tanker fire occurred in the early hours of Friday.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the incident happened around 12:55 a.m., along the Mosimi-Sagamu route, around Okedia.
The FRSC spokesperson in Ogun, Florence Okpe, said two persons were involved in the crash, “fortunately no injury or death recorded.”
Okpe disclosed that the Mac tanker with no number plate was overloaded.
“The suspected cause of the lone crash was overloading.
“The tanker rolled back due to heavy load, it lost control, hit a barrier and went into flames,” she explained.
Okpe added that men of the FRSC, TRACE and the Ogun state Fire Services were on ground to manage the situation.
“Efforts are ongoing to remove the obstruction off the road,” Okpe said.