Lagos — A truck driver, Victor Samuel, is currently enmeshed in trouble and has appeared before an Ikeja Magistrate's Court Five, Abule-Egba, on allegation of reckless driving which resulted in the death of a police constable and seven others. The incident was said to have occurred at about 8.45p.m. on December 24, 2009, along Ekoro Junction, Abule-Egba.

Following the accident, Samuel was arrested by traffic policemen from Oke-Odo Police Division, and was subsequently charged him to court on January 13, 2010.

The suspect was slammed with eight count charges read as follows:

"That you, Victor Samuel 'm' on December 24, 2009, at about 8p.m., along Ekoro Junction, Abule-Egba in the Ikeja Magisterial District being the driver in charge of one Mack Truck with Registration Number XP346LSR, drove same on the public highway in a manner dangerous to the public having regards to all circumstance on the road and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (I) of the Road Traffic Law Cap 10, Volume 7 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003."

Count two also reads: "Victor Samuel on the same date, time, and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District being the driver in charge of the same vehicle, drove same on the public highway in a dangerous manner and caused the death of F.No.377659 Police Constable, Enuku Obi, Femi Oluwagbemi, Gbenga Idowu, Ojulape Olanrewaju, and four other unknown persons and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1) of the Road Traffic Law Cap 10, Volume 7, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

Count three states that the accused person on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District being the driver in charge of the same vehicle, drove same on the public highway in a dangerous manner and caused injuries to one Precious Oluwagbemi, a girl whose age was four years on her right leg and Aribisola Oladale, a man aged 30 years as well as Kumuyi Victor, aged 24 years, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (II) of the Road Traffic Law, Cap 10, Volume 7 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

Count four reads that Samuel on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District being the driver in charge of the same vehicle, drove same on the public highway in a dangerous manner and caused damage to a Bajaj tricycle with Registration Number OL577 EKY, property of Shola Sholoye and Bajaj tricycle with Registration Number OR584 EKY property of one Joy Ikpe as well as Bajaj tricycle with Registration Number MS917SMK, property of one Aribisola Oladele. Another Bajaj motorcycle with Registration Number QR759BOJ property of one late Gbenga Idowu, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28 (III) of the Road Traffic Law, Cap R10, Volume 7, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

Count five stated that Samuel on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District being the driver in charge of the same vehicle, drove same on the public highway and failed to produce a vehicle licence, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14 (I) of the Road Traffic Laws, Cap R10, Volume 7, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

While count six accused him of driving on the public highway and failed to produce certificate of insurance for the vehicle, an offence contrary to Section 17(1) of the Road Traffic Laws, Cap 126 Volume 1, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

In count seven, Samuel was alleged to have on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District drove on the public highway without certificate of Road Worthiness, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 44 (I) of the Road Traffic Laws, Cap R10 Volume 7, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

While count eight stated that "you Victor Samuel 'm' on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District being the driver in charge of the same vehicle drove same on the public highway without efficient brake, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 25 (I) (p) of the Road Traffic Laws, Cap R10, Volume 7, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

Samuel pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail by the female Magistrate, O. O. Martins. The matter was first adjourned to February 8, 2010, while further adjournment was made to April 21, 2010.

During police investigation, several persons volunteered statements on the accident incident to the police.

A police sergeant simply identified as Olusegun of Oke-odo Police Station, Lagos, stated that on December 24, 2009, at about 6.30p.m. he and Femi were on pin down point at Ekoro Junction, Abule Egba, Lagos.

He was said to have stated that on arrival at the pin down point, he posted his personnel, two each, on both lanes, adding that on noticing that there was traffic jam, Enuku Obi, a constable, was standing beside the road to control traffic while there were some Bajaj motorcycles, numbering 15 and one Bajaj motorcycle parked beside the road looking for passengers. Daily Independent learnt that suddenly there was one truck with Registration Number XP346LSR driven by an unknown person coming from the direction of Abule Egba bus stop.

According to Olusegun, there was shouting of 'brake failure' from the truck and 'no brake'.

He stated that he noticed that the driver directed the vehicle towards where the police, Constable Obi, and where the Bajaj tricycle and one Bajaj motorcycle were parked.

According to him, the truck hit three Bajaj tricycles and a Bajaj motorcycle and pushed them towards the fence of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, (PHCN).

The next thing he noticed was that Police Constable, Enuku Obi, was lying down on the ground without shaking his body.

Immediately, he said, he rushed towards him and shook him to know whether he was breathing, but that his left hand was broken.

He explained that he rushed him to a private hospital nearby at Ekoro Road where the doctor on duty confirmed him dead.

According to him, it was later discovered that there were passengers in the three Bajaj Tricycles and one Bajaj motorcycle that the truck hit and somersaulted on top, but could not say the number of people that died and were injured.

Another witness, Kumuyi Victor, a Tricycle operator, of 25, Arunseolu Street, Oja Oba, Agege, in a statement with the police stated that he was the rider in charge of one Bajaj Tricycle with Registration Number QR584EKY.

He said that on December 24, 2009, at about 8.20p.m., he was riding the aforementioned tricycle from Bab Salen bus stop Abule Egba, heading towards Agbelekale bus stop with three passengers. On getting to Ekoro Junction, he said he suddenly heard a bang at the back of his tricycle and became unconscious, adding that he gained consciousness the same day at about 11.40p.m. in a private hospital at Pipeline, Oke-odo, while receiving medical treatment. He said he was only told that it was one Mack truck with Registration Number XP346LSR driven by an unknown person that hit his tricycle and one Bajaj motorcycle with registration number unknown, two others with Registration QS917SMK, QL577EKJ.

On 28/12/2009 at about 8p.m. he continued, he met one male person who identified himself as being one of the passengers in his damage tricycle and he confirmed that the other passengers in his damaged tricycle were all right and medically fit.

Also, a farmer, Samson Debo Bamiduro, of 4B, Tapa Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos, narrated that he is a cousin to one of the deceased persons, Femi Oluwagbemi, 25, and that he lived at 23, Joseph Ukhuor Street, Miran, saying he brought him to Lagos.

He equally narrated how his cousin's wife came to inform him that her husband and daughter did not return the previous day prompting him to set out in search of them.

He said that in the process, he went to the police station where he was told there was an accident the previous night at Iyana Ekoro near Miran.

"When I made an enquiry, I was told that some of the victims had been carried to The General Hospital, Orile Agege, there I found the girl being attended to by the nurse. Then I left the wife, the mother of my brother's daughter. Later I was directed to Ikeja General Hospital, from there I was told to go and check at Isolo Mortuary where I later found the corpse of my brother."

Akinlade Wasiu of 1 Mohammed Sadir Street, Igoke Estate, Oke-Odo, and the chairman of Tricycle Operators of Oke-Odo unit, Ile-Epo bus stop, Lagos, said that on December 24, 2009, at about 9p.m. he received the news that one Mack Truck with Registration Number XP546LSR driven by an unknown person knock down three Bajaj tricycles and one Bajaj motorcycle with unknown Registration Number, and that two of his tricycle operator members were involved in the accident.

Finally, Victor Samuel, the accused driver of 23, Idi Ayure Street, Adebayo bus stop, Ibadan, Oyo State, told the police that he is a native of Isialangwa, Abia State.

He said that he attended St. Andrew Primary School, Ara Oje, Ibadan, Oyo State, adding that after his primary education, he studied Poultry Farming in Aven Specialty in Oluyole Iga, Ibadan. He said that he is a licensed driver and the driver in charge of one MACK Truck with Registration Number XP346LSR. He was said to have added that on December 24, 2009, at about 8.40p.m. he was driving the vehicle from Royal Consyruction Company (RCC), Ibadan, Oyo State, and heading towards Ile-Ewe bus stop Meiran, Lagos. On getting to Ekoro Junction, Abule Egba, Lagos, he said there was one bus with unknown Registration Number in front of his truck and that there were some Bajaj tricycle in the front of the bus. He further stated that on noticing the traffic jam in the front he applied brake to slow down but notice that the brake of his vehicle was no longer working. "I also pulled the hand brake, but it did not work. That was when I started struggling with the steering to control it, but unfortunately I hit the bus in my front and pushed it to the conductor side and also hit the three Bajaj tricycles and pushed it to hit one Bajaj motorcycle. And my vehicle somersaulted and fell on the three Bajaj tricycles and the Bajaj motorcycle. It was the bystanders that witness the accident that help and brought me out of my vehicle to the station."