A truck carrying cement lost control in Akungba-Akoko, k!lling eight people, including a pregnant woman and her child.
Angry residents blamed authorities for neglecting safety concerns and allowing heavy trucks through the area.
A tragic accident in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, claimed the lives of a pregnant woman, her child, and six other people on Wednesday night after a truck carrying Dangote Cement lost control and crashed into pedestrians and traders.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. near the main gate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), and the Holy Trinity Church. According to eyewitnesses, the truck, which was travelling from Obajana in Kogi State, reportedly suffered a brake failure before veering off the road and ramming into people and roadside stalls in the busy university community.
The shocking incident triggered anger among residents and sympathizers, who accused the authorities of neglecting repeated safety warnings. They blamed the disaster on the earlier removal of a barricade that had restricted heavy-duty vehicles from passing through the area. Many lamented that the tragedy revived painful memories of similar accidents that have claimed several lives in the same location in past years.
One resident alleged that some individuals in the community had been exploiting the situation for personal gain. “Some boys had been collecting ₦10,000 from truck drivers before allowing them to pass through the barricade, while the government looked away,” the source claimed.
Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, Ezekiel SonAllah Ibitoye, said eight people died in the crash. “The deceased include five men, two women, and a child. The truck ran into a barricade near Adekunle Ajasin University and lost control,” he stated.
The authorities have since cleared the scene while investigations continue into the cause of the tragic accident.
