According to Kayode Ajulo, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Ondo administration, the administration has started looking into who owned the truck that was engaged in a terrible accident that killed numerous people in the state.
The state will bring charges against the truck driver and his employers after they are revealed, the attorney general said, expressing outrage over the deadly occurrence.
“What is inhuman in the truck ownership dispute is that the owner should have at least offered condolences to the families of the deceased but remained silent,” he stated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, ten persons, including a pregnant woman, were killed in an automobile accident that happened in the state’s Akungba-Akoko region on Wednesday.
The victims were killed instantly after a truck allegedly lost control and crashed into a few stores along the Owo-Akungba-Ikare Akoko expressway.
The goal of the investigation, according to the attorney general, is to identify the truck’s owner before any legal action is taken.
This is because of the dispute about who owned the vehicle; at first, a lot of media outlets said that the Dangote Group owned it.
He declared that the owner of the truck will be apprehended and included in the prosecution.
He was incensed by the startling increase in truck and heavy-duty vehicle fatalities in Ondo state and throughout Nigeria.
He remarked, “Innocent citizens have been killed in these tragic incidents, including this recent devastating crash that killed a pregnant woman, her child, and others.”
Heavy truck drivers’ careless driving was denounced by Ajulo, who said it is completely intolerable and needs to be addressed right away.
He reiterated Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s steadfast dedication to protecting Ondo State citizens while they are traveling.
“Enough is enough. It is no longer possible to ignore the deaths brought on by criminal negligence. From now on, the corporation will be held vicariously liable along with the drivers who were involved in these horrifying accidents. For their criminal negligence, we will bring legal action against them to the utmost extent possible,” he declared.
The attorney general demanded an immediate and comprehensive examination of truck owners’ operational procedures, including adherence to safety rules and the instruction given to truck drivers across the country.
He assured the public that the state government was still dedicated to taking all necessary steps to ensure road safety and preserve lives, and he urged them to be watchful and report any instances of reckless driving involving heavy-duty vehicles.
“Our people’s lives are of utmost importance. We will not let safety be sacrificed for business.
He stated, “As the community struggles with its loss, the call for more stringent rules and responsibility among commercial transport operators intensifies, insisting that such needless tragedies be avoided in the future.”
He offered the families of the departed his condolences and promised them justice.
The Dangote Group, meanwhile, denied on Thursday that it was connected to the vehicle that was involved in the road accident in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area, Ondo state.
“The firm would like to clarify that neither Dangote Group nor any of its companies own the truck that was involved in the regrettable incident.
The statement said, “The truck with Plate No. JJJ 365 XB is owned and operated by an independent logistics company with no affiliation to Dangote Group, as confirmed by verified vehicle registration details.”
