The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has cleared a container truck that obstructed a major section of the roadway at National-Ashade, Lagos, restoring normal vehicular movement after an overnight incident.
The incident occurred at about 11:21pm on Sunday when a MACK truck carrying two 20-foot containers reportedly developed a fault while attempting to make a U-turn. The truck subsequently tilted, leaving the containers in a position that blocked about 80 per cent of the roadway.
LASEMA said its Eagle Response Team stationed at Cappa was activated after receiving a distress call and arrived at the scene to assess the situation.
According to the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, preliminary investigations indicated that a tyre burst caused the truck to tilt.
The position of the truck and containers posed a potential danger to other road users and significantly restricted traffic movement along the affected section.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the incident was caused by a tyre burst which made the truck tilt, posing a serious threat to road users and blocking about eighty percent of the roadway,” the agency said.
Emergency responders immediately secured the area and implemented traffic diversion measures to prevent further incidents while specialised recovery equipment was mobilised.
LASEMA said the recovery operation involved the use of a private crane, two forklifts and the agency’s lowbed.
The two containers were successfully recovered and placed on the LASEMA lowbed, while the MACK truck itself was towed away to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority yard in Oshodi with the assistance of a private tow truck.
Following the successful recovery operation, the affected road was fully cleared and reopened to motorists.
The agency said no death or injury was recorded in the incident.
Oke-Osanyintolu commended members of the agency’s Cobra and Eagle Response Teams, as well as other emergency and traffic management personnel who participated in the operation.
He stressed the importance of proper maintenance of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles, particularly given the potential consequences of mechanical failures involving vehicles carrying heavy loads.
The LASEMA boss urged truck and trailer operators to conduct regular checks on tyres, braking systems and other critical components before embarking on journeys.
He also called on drivers to comply with speed limits and other traffic regulations, particularly when manoeuvring heavy-duty vehicles on busy urban roads.
The incident is the latest in a series of container truck and articulated vehicle emergencies that have caused traffic disruptions on Lagos roads.
The high volume of container traffic in the state, combined with mechanical failures and road conditions, has repeatedly created challenges for motorists and emergency responders.
LASEMA has previously had to deploy heavy-duty recovery equipment to remove crashed or overturned trucks and containers from major roads, with agencies such as LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps often involved in managing traffic around accident scenes.
The agency urged motorists to exercise caution around heavy-duty vehicles and to report emergencies promptly to enable responders to intervene before incidents escalate.
Members of the public can contact emergency services through the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines, according to LASEMA.
The swift recovery of the truck and containers allowed traffic to resume without any reported casualty, while authorities reiterated the importance of vehicle maintenance and responsible driving in preventing similar incidents.
