• Father and son confirmed dead
Following the Monday morning fatal train accident in Oshodi, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has pledged to bring improved safety measures on rail corridors in the state to avert preventable deaths.
The governor, in company of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said this during his visit to the accident scene involving a commuter train and two vehicles that left two dead along the driveways into the Nigerian Army Shopping Arena in Oshodi.
The victims are a father and son, who were said to be driving into the shopping arena when their Highlander Jeep got stuck on the rail track.
According to reports, all the six persons in the other vehicle – a passenger bus – escaped with varying degrees of injuries after the train dragged the commercial bus 800 meters away from the point of collision.
Consequently, Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the families of the victims while describing the accident as regrettable.
He noted that the incident happened on the day the State and Federal Governments reached an agreement to close down the shopping complex’s gates at the railway line because of safety concern.
The governor added, “This incident is regrettable because it happened on the day all stakeholders reached a consensus to close down the gates into the shopping arena. And this is part of the concerns we have been raising about commuters’ safety on this axis.
While doing an on-site assessment, the governor said, “We need to act fast. This fatal accident should strengthen our resolve to do the needful and prevent a repeat of the sad incident in the future.”
“It is also a clarion call on our people to be safety conscious whenever they need to drive across rail track. If there is slow movement of vehicles at any railway bypass, then there is need to keep a safe distance from the rail tracks.
We have been rolling out advocacy on this, he harped on, and we will intensify efforts on it. Safety of the people is paramount and we will do all required to ensure we put a stop to this kind of accident.
Sanwo-Olu further disclosed that State Government and the Federal Government were on the move to create alternative entry and exit driveways for the shopping arena and other vulnerable points along the railway corridor.
This effort, the governor believed, will strengthen safety of commuters and motorists along rail corridors.
Prior to the visit by the Governor and the Minister, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) had evacuated the mangled vehicles from the rail track, and those injured had been treated and discharged by medical personnel deployed to the site of the accident.
