The growing menace of container trucks on Lagos roads came into focus again on Wednesday after a loaded articulated truck conveying two 20-foot containers overturned at Mile 12, inward Ikorodu, following an alleged brake failure.
The accident, which occurred shortly after the Mile 12 Bridge, saw the truck ram into a culvert along the road median, leaving its cabin lying on its side, spilling part of its cargo onto the roadside and damaging sections of the road railing.
Although no life was lost, the motor boy sustained a leg injury and was given medical attention.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), in a statement by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said its Tiger Response Team from C3 was alerted to the incident at about 2:51 a.m. and arrived at the scene 15 minutes later.
According to the agency, the truck was carrying two 20-foot containers loaded with Natural Active Clay, also known as Bleaching Earth, when it reportedly suffered brake failure, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the culvert.
The incident once again highlights the dangers posed by articulated and container trucks on Lagos roads, particularly when mechanical defects, poor vehicle maintenance and loss of control turn heavy-duty vehicles into threats to motorists and other road users.
Following an assessment of the scene, LASEMA coordinated the recovery operation in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
A private recovery equipment was initially deployed, while a crane was later brought in to lift the overturned truck and its containers. The operation required the diversion of incoming vehicles and the securing of the accident scene to prevent further incidents.
After the containers were successfully lifted, they were transloaded onto the truck and moved, with the assistance of a private towing vehicle, to the LASTMA yard in Ojota for safekeeping and documentation.
The recovery and evacuation exercise was subsequently completed, clearing the obstruction and restoring normal traffic movement along the affected section of the road.
Photo: Container. Photo: Rescuers removing the container at Mile Two.
