Panic gripped traders and commuters on Thursday after a truck rammed into multiple vehicles at Ganmo Market along the Ilorin–Ajase-Ipo Federal Highway in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The crash, described by eyewitnesses as devastating, involved no fewer than seven vehicles, including a truck, two private cars, two tricycles, a motorcycle, and a commercial shuttle bus.
Findings by The PUNCH revealed that the accident was triggered by the speeding truck around 5pm.
It was reportedly descending from the Ilorin axis when it lost control and crashed into a tricycle, subsequently colliding with five other vehicles in quick succession.
Although no life was lost in the incident, several persons sustained varying degrees of injuries, while all the affected vehicles were badly damaged.
Eyewitnesses said the driver of the truck fled the scene immediately after the crash, leaving behind the wreckage and injured victims.
A victim of the accident, Suraju from Ayo, who was riding a motorcycle and sustained bruises, recounted his ordeal.
“I was on my way from the Ilorin axis to Amoyo when I noticed the truck speeding behind me and other vehicles.
“It was only by God’s grace that we survived when the truck rammed into us and crushed our vehicles.
“I tried to avoid being hit, but I could not. I had to jump off my motorcycle to save my life,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Temitope Rukayyat, described the moment the crash occurred.
“I heard a loud noise from a distance, and when I got to the scene, I saw that the truck had already collided with several vehicles. It was chaotic,” she said.
Providing further details, Sara Abdullateef narrated how the incident unfolded near her shop.
“This car by the gutter was parked directly in front of my shop. The owner, a woman carrying her child on her back, had just sent a young girl, likely her house help, into the market to buy something.
“As the truck approached, it first knocked a tricycle into the gutter. It then rammed into a bus, which in turn crashed into the private car where the woman was,” she said.
She added that the incident caused widespread panic, forcing traders and passersby to flee for safety.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force from the Ganmo Division swiftly mobilised to the scene to restore order, while sympathisers and passersby assisted in attending to the injured victims.
