Villagers block Ogun highway as vehicle crushes pupils to death

There was an outrage on Wednesday as residents of Sowo Village, along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State, blocked the highway in protest against the killing of four pupils. Daily Trust learnt that a vehicle reportedly rammed into pupils while they were walking by the roadside, killing four of them. The accident involving four male […]

There was an outrage on Wednesday as residents of Sowo Village, along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State, blocked the highway in protest against the killing of four pupils.

Daily Trust learnt that a vehicle reportedly rammed into pupils while they were walking by the roadside, killing four of them.

The accident involving four male children of Iddo Primary School, Iddo Kobape, occurred at about 3pm.

The incident triggered a protest by villagers leading to road blockage and restricted vehicular movement on the expressway.

Our correspondent gathered travellers reportedly abandoned their vehicles and trekked long distances in search of alternative routes.

An attempt by angry youths to lynch the driver of the vehicle was foiled by security operatives who arrived at the scene and whisked him away to safety.

Spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident.

He described it as “a deeply unfortunate occurrence.”

“A tragic accident occurred at Sowo Village, claiming four lives, including schoolchildren. The road was blocked as a result, and security agencies were immediately summoned to manage the tension,” Akinbiyi stated.

He added that a joint team of TRACE, the police, and the Nigerian Army was deployed to the area to restore normalcy.

“The road has now been reopened, and traffic is gradually easing. The timely intervention of the security agencies helped to calm the angry residents and ensure order was restored,” he said.