A truck loaded with Dangote Cement has claimed the lives of at least eight people, including a pregnant woman, a mother, and her child, in a devastating crash near Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State.
The accident, which occurred around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, happened just a few metres from the university’s main gate and the Holy Trinity Church in the bustling university community.
Eyewitnesses said the truck, travelling from Obajana in Kogi State, suffered brake failure while descending the steep Akungba hill before losing control and ramming into traders, pedestrians, and motorists along the road.
The horrifying crash sparked chaos as residents and sympathisers rushed to the scene, some blaming the tragedy on the removal of a safety barricade previously installed to restrict heavy-duty vehicles from passing through the area.
“Some boys in the community had been using the barricade to extort N10,000 from truck drivers before allowing them to pass. The government turned a blind eye,” one angry resident told reporters.
Locals said the community has repeatedly called for a diversion route after a series of similar accidents near the university claimed dozens of lives in recent years.
Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, Ezekiel Ibitoye, said eight people died on the spot.
“The deceased include five males, two females, and one child. The truck lost control after hitting a barricade near the university gate,” Ibitoye said, adding that emergency teams had evacuated the victims and cleared the wreckage.
The tragedy has reignited calls for stronger enforcement of heavy truck restrictions around Akungba-Akoko — an area that has witnessed multiple deadly crashes involving articulated vehicles in the past decade.
