ILARO – No fewer than five persons were confirmed dead on Friday night after a Dangote Cement truck lost control and rammed into a tricycle in the Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The fatal accident occurred at approximately 8:25 p.m. along the Papalanto-Ilaro Road, near Alapoka Village.
According to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the truck, with the number plate GRZ 767 XA, suffered a brake failure. It subsequently collided with an unregistered tricycle (Keke NAPEP) which was carrying all five victims.
The spokesperson for TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident on Saturday. He stated that an eyewitness account revealed the truck driver may not have been immediately aware he had hit the tricycle until the truck’s tyre crushed the vehicle and its passengers.
“The five people died on the spot,” Akinbiyi said.
Upon receiving the report, a rescue team led by the Acting TRACE Head, Adedayo Omonayajo, and the Ilaro Divisional TRACE Commander, Salako Idowu, was dispatched to the scene.
The operation, however, faced a temporary setback as angry residents of the community attempted to attack the rescue officials. The intervention of the Amotekun Corps was required to douse the tension and bring the situation under control.
The bodies of the deceased have been evacuated and deposited at a morgue by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
This tragic event adds to a growing list of fatal accidents involving Dangote trucks across the country. In a recent high-profile case, Big Brother Naija star, Phyna, was in a dispute with the Dangote Group after a truck from the company crushed her sister, leading to her death.
Similarly, in November 2024, a multiple-vehicle crash caused by a Dangote truck with brake failure in Lagos and Ogun states claimed four lives and left seven others injured.