During a biannual route march near Myhoung Barracks in Yaba, Lagos, an unidentified vehicle killed one army officer and injured several more.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver, who is suspected of being inebriated, lost control of the vehicle around 7 a.m. on Friday and collided with over 100 soldiers and civilians. Other soldiers and bystanders were injured to varying degrees, and the female officer was presumably thrown into the air before landing with fatal injuries.
Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 81 Division, confirmed the incident and stated that the injured troops are being treated at the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba, while the deceased soldier’s body has been transported to a mortuary.
According to Punch, the victim was identified as a senior officer, and witnesses characterized the accident as horrible. According to an anonymous resident of the NAEME Officer’s Mess at Marda Barracks, the victim was a lieutenant colonel, and several other soldiers were critically injured.
A senior cop who witnessed the incident recounted his near encounter. “I was able to leap out of the way when I noticed the car coming.” The trooper explained, “He was speeding recklessly and acted like a suicide bomber even though he could see us marching.”
A tricycle driver who asked to remain anonymous described the chaotic scene at Myhoung Barracks. He said that when the driver’s vehicle impacted with the ground, it struck the soldier’s head with force. He further said that his passenger was confined in a military guardroom as the driver was brutally battered by irate troops before being arrested.
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At least 18 servicemen sustained critical injuries in the mishap, including broken arms and legs, necessitating immediate transport to an army hospital for treatment. “The soldiers cleared the area quickly,” stated one witness on the scene. You wouldn’t have seen anyone here if you had arrived earlier.
Authorities are likely to conduct a thorough investigation into the disaster to determine the exact circumstances that caused it.
