Four persons, including three students and a commercial motorcyclist, lost their lives in a fatal road accident that occurred on Tuesday along the Abanla-Idi-Ayunre Road in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The accident, which happened in the early hours of the day, involved a truck loaded with granite and a motorcycle, commonly known as okada.
According to eyewitness accounts, the truck driver ran over the okada that was conveying the students to school.
The motorcyclist and two of the students died on the spot, while the third student was rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
The truck driver reportedly fled the scene of the accident and remains at large as the police begin investigations into the incident.
Witnesses said distraught students took to the streets shortly after the tragedy, blocking the road and demanding justice and immediate government intervention.
Emotions ran high as other commercial motorcyclists and residents joined the protest, decrying the recurring threat posed by heavy-duty vehicles along the route.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Chairman of the council, Asiwaju Olatunji, arrived at the scene with police and other security personnel to calm the protesters and reassure the community of swift and long-term measures.