Tears flowed freely yesterday when a truck crushed many students crossing the road to death in the Ojudu Berger area of Lagos State with several others severely injured.
The incident, which occurred at Grammar School Bus Stop yesterday afternoon, led to a riot as students of Babs Fafunwa Millennium School and suspected hoodlums went on rampage.
Students of the school had retaliated by vandalising about 20 trailers and a road safety truck.
Eyewitnesses told LEADERSHIP that the school had just closed when the trailer, which had brake failure, rammed into a group of the students and killed 15 of them instantly.
While the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals their fellow students had taken up sticks and stones to attack all vehicles, particularly trailers.
One of the students who identified herself as Sherifat told our correspondent that two of her friends were among the dead.
According to her, she could have been among the victims if not that she stayed back in school to finish up on something and her friends who were unwilling to wait for her had gone ahead without her.
She had come out of the gate only to see her friends among the dead.
The protesting students vandalised shops around the school and trailers all the way to Berger bus stop as residents and motorists fled into the adjourning streets to avoid the wrath of the students.
Some attendants at a shopping mall said their delivery truck was vandalised when the students chased some of the truck drivers into their shop.
An official of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Yemi Sule, who confirmed the incident, said,’’ The agency received a distress call at 2:56 pm about a truck accident at Ogunnusi Road, Grammar School Bus-stop, Ojodu Berger.
“However, the information gathered from LASTMA and the police at the scene revealed that an unidentified truck lost control and rammed into students returning from School.
“The incident led to severe injuries to some victims, others were discovered dead.
“This unfortunate incident provoked some bystanders into taking laws into their hand by lynching NPF, LASTMA officials and other first responders at the scene, destroying vehicles and other properties.
“The number of fatalities and casualties could not be ascertained as at the time of reporting.”
Also commenting on the incident, police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the arrest of the driver.
He said an investigation had commenced into the incident. The driver has been arrested while the Investigation into the accident is ongoing.
