A truck driver, simply identified as Akeem, drowned yesterday after his truck plunged into the lagoon.
Akeem, who was returning two empty containers to a barging site in Apapa, was said to be in the truck when it rolled off the barge and plunged into the lagoon, trapping him in the process.
Before the unfortunate incident, the deceased was said to have queried the position of things at the jetty, but was asked to proceed by officials of the private jetty.
“The truck rolled backwards and plunged into the water while the driver was trying to position it. He tried to jump out but it was too late for him to do so as he and the truck fell into the water.
“Both the truck and driver were fished out of the murky waters some days later” a staff of the jetty who did not wish to be named, alleged.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the unfortunate incident occurred on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at about 5.30 pm. The incident was however not reported until the wife of the deceased started asking questions about the whereabouts of her husband.
The findings also revealed that the body of the driver was recovered by rescuers around Liverpool area few days after the incident.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, at a zoom media conference held on Monday, said she was not aware of the incident, but promised to investigate the matter.
She said: “I want to assure you that the case would be thoroughly investigated and if found to be true, the management of the jetty would be sanctioned.”
The Chairman of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, said he could not comment on the issue because of where he was at the time he was contacted.
He however promised to speak on the issue much later in the day.
“My brother, nothing is hidden under the sun. We will talk about it later in the day when it is convenient for me to talk,” he said.
