Dada Segun, a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, was on Thursday crushed to death by a fuel-laden tanker along the Gbongan-Osogbo Expressway.
According to Punch Metro, it was gathered that the accident which occurred around 9.30am caused a heavy traffic on the road and motorists were forced to take alternative routes.
Irate youths of Owode-Ede, where the accident happened, barricaded and made bonfires on the road, asking motorists to turn back.
However, armed policemen and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed in the scene to calm the youths down and open the road.
Eyewitnesses revealed that there was a diversion of traffic on one of the two lanes due to an ongoing road repair.
The victim was said to have crossed the road unaware that vehicles were also coming from the opposite direction.
One of the eyewitnesses, who identified himself simply as Lateef, blamed the accident on the truck driver.
He said, “Dada was killed by a reckless driver. I think Dada was not aware that there was a road diversion and there was a truck coming from the opposite direction. The accident would not have occurred if the driver was not reckless.”
Another youth at the scene of the accident, David Aweda, told our correspondent that the driver sped off after crushing Dada, but was stopped opposite Zone 11 Police Command headquarters.
“ He ran inside the command to escape the anger of angry youths chasing him,” he added.
It was gathered that the irate youths pounced on those who diverted the traffic and opened the blocked road for use.
The traditional ruler of Owode-Ede, Oba Oyedepo Nurain, said the community had been calling on the government to install speed breakers on the road without success.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Folashade Odoro, said investigation was ongoing into the accident.
