A female student sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) tragically lost her life on Friday after a truck veered off the road and struck her in the Ikangba area of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. Another female student was critically injured in the incident.
The accident occurred along the recently rehabilitated Ikangba/Agoro Road as students from Seico Secondary School were returning home after their examination.
Eyewitnesses say the truck, approaching from the Molipa end of the road, suddenly lost control and hit the students before crashing into the fence of a nearby parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Mr. Eko Nicholas, a resident and chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), told Saturday PUNCH that the deceased was seen clutching her examination papers, confirming she was a WASSCE candidate.
“She died on the spot,” Nicholas said, adding that the second student remains in critical condition.
Nicholas expressed concern over the increasing number of accidents along the road since its rehabilitation and criticized the absence of basic safety measures such as speed breakers.
“Since February, we have lost six lives along this road. Many others have suffered serious injuries,” he said.
He called on the state government to urgently install speed bumps and streetlights, especially considering the number of schools located along the stretch. “Children walk this road daily.
This is a preventable tragedy,” he added, noting that CDWR had previously written to authorities with no response.
The incident was confirmed by the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Mr. Babatunde Akinbiyi. “Yes, the incident has been confirmed. One school pupil died in the crash,” Akinbiyi said.
The community continues to mourn the loss, with renewed calls for government intervention to improve road safety in the area.