A fatal collision between a truck and a motorcycle on Friday morning resulted in the death of three people, including two siblings who were students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in Ekiti state, southwest Nigeria.
The accident occurred at the entrance of Ilupeju town, along the Oye-Ikole road.
The deceased siblings were identified as Passion and Oyinkansola. Passion had just graduated from FUOYE and owned a barbershop in Oye-Ekiti, while Oyinkansola was a 300-level Mass Communication student. The third victim was a bike rider who was carrying the siblings to their destination.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck that caused the accident belonged to the Dangote Group, a conglomerate owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
The truck driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle due to brake failure and rammed into the motorcycle and some nearby shops.
The Ekiti State Police Command confirmed the incident and said that the truck driver had been arrested.
However, the police spokesperson, Abutu Sunday, said that the identities of the victims were yet to be verified. He also said that the police were yet to ascertain the ownership of the truck.
The incident has thrown the FUOYE community into mourning, as students and staff expressed their shock and sadness over the tragic death of their colleagues.
A student who spoke in anonymity said that Passion and Oyinkansola were popular and well-liked by many.
“It is so sad, especially because I know the two of them. The mood in the school is really bad. People are totally down right now,” the student said.
The Special Assistant to the school’s vice-chancellor, Mr Wole Balogun, could not be reached for comment on the incident. He did not answer his calls.
This is not the first time that Nigerian students have been killed in accidents involving trucks.
In February 2022, some students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State protested against the frequent accidents happening around their school gate. They blamed the poor road condition and reckless driving of truck drivers for the deaths of many students and residents.
In 2021, the management of Adekunle Ajasin University shut down the school after a truck belonging to Dangote Cement killed nine people, including some students, opposite the campus.
The students demanded that the government should dualise the road and rebuild the hilly Akungba-Ikare Road to prevent further accidents.
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