Families of victims burnt beyond recognition in last Thursday’s petroleum tanker fire on Otedola Bridge, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, have started submitting reference samples at the Lagos DNA and Forensic Centre towards claiming the corpses of their loved ones.
This is happening as the Lagos State government and police command are partnering to bring the driver and owner of the ill-fated tanker to justice. At least, 12 people died in the tanker explosion while 45 vehicles were burnt in what had been blamed on road unworthiness of the truck.
Adeniji Kazeem, the Lagos State commissioner for justice, who confirmed the submission of the reference samples by the affected families, said it was to enable government match the dead with the families they belong, to avoid releasing corpses to wrong families.
“I can confirm that today (Monday), families who lost their loved ones to the accident have started reporting at the Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre for submission of reference samples that would be used to identify victims,” Kazeem said.
Also speaking on what is being done since the accident happened, Edgal Imohimi, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos command, said the owner of the truck and the driver would be prosecuted.
The police chief, who briefed journalists alongside heads of other security agencies in the state, after a security council meeting chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday, said investigation was still ongoing.
“Investigation into the matter is in top gear. I have received a letter from the office of the attorney-general and commissioner for justice which states clearly charges which we are going to prefer against the driver and the owner of that tanker.
“Henceforth, we are using this opportunity to call on all tanker drivers, all lorry drivers, all owners of such articulated vehicles to please submit those vehicles for Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) test; they must go through the entire hub and get the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) Certificate of Road Worthiness. We will not allow such vehicles which obviously pose serious danger to other road users on our roads,” Imohimi added.
He security agencies have been directed to intensify enforcement of relevant laws, especially the Lagos Road Traffic Law, with the view to ensuring that the roads and highways in the State were safe for commuters to ply without any danger.
He also allayed fears over renewed threat of militancy in the creek areas of Epe, Imota and Agbowa, assuring that state government, in collaboration with security agencies, was on top of the situation.
“We are calling on all those who are in the riverine communities to continue to partner with security agents to ensure that when they see strange movement, they quickly alert security agencies so that we can keep them safe. For now, I can assure Lagosians that those areas are being properly policed and security is tight in those areas,” he said.
