Mother of Late Chidinma Ajoku has called on concerned authorities to take actions against reckless container drivers.
Sequel to her interview with Vanguard, her daughter, late Chidinma, who is a graduate of Babcock University lost her life in a road accident last Sunday while returning from work.
Chidinma and her colleague from the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were on a commuter bus before the unfortunate incident occurred.
The report claimed that a 40 feet container fell off a moving truck at Ilasa, along the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, landing right on Chidinma’s bus.
Chidinma, her colleague and six others were killed while others escaped with varying degree of injuries.
Narrating her own account of the accident, Late Chidinma’s mother said,
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“We were told that driver of the commercial bus in which my daughter and her colleague were, stopped to either pick or drop passengers at Ilasa bus-stop when a reckless trailer driver on high speed fell on the bus.”
“Meanwhile, I was waiting for her to return home. I dialled her number, no response. I called her aunt whom she stayed with at Surulere. Both of us didn’t sleep until 6 am when a colleague of hers called me to say they were involved in an accident and that they were at the Isolo General Hospital.”
“When we got there, we were told they were not among those brought in. We were referred to the government hospital, Yaba. When we got there, they told us to go and check the morgue. My friend’s husband and my sons went to check the morgue, only to find my daughter and her colleague bodies.”
She lamented the growing cases of ghastly road accident associated with reckless container drivers: “This incident of a container falling on vehicles is getting too much. These container drivers keep killing people and nobody is talking.”
“My daughter was just 27 years and had plans to travel abroad for her Masters in the near future, only to have life snuffed out of such a promising girl and her colleague”.
She continued, “I appeal to the authority concerned to bring these people to book. The government should do something because It is getting too much especially in Lagos. I remember there was a time when these trucks were virtually off the road in the day and were only allowed to ply at night.”
“Now, they are everywhere, driving recklessly. I don’t know what they drink while driving which makes them fall on cars. There had been several similar cases that happened and nothing was done to bring justice to the victims.
“But my daughter’s can’t go just like that If my daughter’s case will be used to stop these unwarranted killings, then, let it be what I have achieved. I know they will say I am a nobody. But I think everybody in Lagos, whether you have a car or not, our lives are in danger because we encounter these trailers and containers every day because they are very reckless. We should champion this course together. We should not wait until more persons are killed”.
Crying, she added that “I sent a cousin to the Ilasa police station and the Police said they could not trace the owner of the truck. We were told that the driver and conductor took off with the truck’s particulars. Again we were told that the owner of the truck called to say he was coming. But nothing has been heard so far. All I demand is justice for my late daughter. Chidinma was my first daughter”.