From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado Ekiti

Several residents of Aba-Iya Madi, a bustling community on the outskirts of Ado-Ekiti, had a close shave with death on Wednesday when a truck collided with a residential building in the area.

The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning when a Dangote-branded truck, laden with cement, lost control while navigating a sharp bend in the village. The truck veered off the road and rammed into the building.

The crash caused panic in the community, with scores of residents rushing out to catch a glimpse of the wreckage. Fortunately, no lives were lost, though the truck caused significant damage to an old building and several kiosks in the area.

Eyewitnesses said the truck’s driver appeared to have lost control before crashing into the building while many residents were still asleep. In a state of confusion, the driver quickly jumped out of the truck and fled the scene.

A resident, Mr. Abiola Adedeji, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented the extent of the damage to the property in the affected building. “It was a huge damage; many shops and kiosks were destroyed, including a modern Cooperative Conference Hall, one of whose reinforcement pillars was knocked down by the heavily loaded truck,” he said.

He added that he narrowly escaped harm, having been in his kiosk just five minutes before the incident. “As I speak to you, many residents cannot drive in or out because the only entrance road has been completely blocked by the ill-fated truck,” he said.

By the time of filing this report, the truck had been towed to the Motor Traffic Division of the Ekiti State Police Command for further investigation.

A senior police officer from the division confirmed that the incident was being investigated. He disclosed that the driver, who had earlier been declared wanted, had been arrested and detained at the traffic section of the police command.