A Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer and two other road users were killed on Monday, 23 February 2026, after a fully loaded SHACMAN truck reportedly linked to the Dangote Group lost control at the Badagry Roundabout inward Seme, Lagos.
Witness accounts carried by multiple outlets said the vehicle suffered brake failure, hit the officer while he was managing traffic, and struck two other victims before stopping some distance away.
The driver initially fled but was later apprehended and handed to the police, according to reports.
Emergency response teams including LASTMA, the Police, FRSC and other agencies were reported at the scene, as traffic and commercial activity around the busy corridor came to a halt.
A familiar pattern, and why it is becoming a reputational problem.
This is not the first time a truck branded with Dangote’s markings has been linked to fatal road incidents, particularly around Lagos’ high-density routes.
In November 2024, officials confirmed three deaths in Epe after a Dangote truck reportedly suffered brake failure near Ayetoro Market Complex, killing two students and another person.
In December 2025, separate reports described another Dangote cement truck crash at Iyana Meiran along the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway, with fatalities and serious injuries recorded.
Nigeria’s broader heavy-truck crisis is already severe.
A 2025 report on truck-related incidents cited hundreds killed and injured over a two-year period nationally, underscoring that this is not only a “one company” conversation, but a systemic safety emergency.
What can be proven — and what cannot.
There are strong public emotions around these incidents, and social media is awash with claims of very high casualty figures over multiple years, and allegations of cover-ups and bribery.
Headlinenews.news cannot independently verify those specific claims from the information currently in the public domain.
What is verifiable, however, is that multiple fatal crashes involving Dangote-branded trucks have been repeatedly reported, including the Badagry tragedy now under police investigation.
The key question now is not just “who was at fault” on Monday, but whether Nigeria’s current enforcement culture is strong enough to prevent repeat tragedies.
What would happen in stricter jurisdictions.
In many countries, repeated serious safety failures can trigger escalating regulatory action that goes beyond blaming a single driver.
In the United Kingdom, operator licences can be revoked and company leadership can face severe consequences where systemic safety management fails; regulators can disqualify operators following serious safety failures.
The broader principle is simple: if a company’s safety systems are judged inadequate and deaths occur, the business itself is exposed, not just the employee behind the wheel.
In the United States, federal regulators can issue “out-of-service” orders and, in severe cases, imminent hazard orders, with significant penalties for violations and consequences that can threaten a carrier’s operating authority.
Across the European Union, enforcement of road transport rules is structured and increasingly coordinated, and operating licences can be suspended for repeated serious infringements under systems designed to prevent unsafe operators remaining on the road.
In South Africa, enforcement frameworks emphasise roadworthiness, overloading controls and shared accountability across the freight chain, not only the driver—reflecting a broader “system responsibility” approach.
What Nigeria should do now.
If the Badagry incident ends as “another sad story”, then the next one is only a matter of time.
The authorities in Lagos and at the federal level have practical options that do not require new speeches:
First, mandatory, auditable preventive maintenance schedules for heavy-duty fleets operating in major cities, with random inspections and immediate impoundment for failed brake, tyre, and coupling integrity checks.
Second, enforceable route restrictions: designated truck corridors, time-of-day controls, and hard bans on certain categories of articulated trucks in dense urban zones except with permits.
Third, corporate accountability that follows the chain: consignor, fleet operator, contractor, depot manager, maintenance provider, and driver. Where negligence is established, the company should face meaningful sanctions, not token fines.
Fourth, compensation must be structured and fair.
When breadwinners are killed, families face long-term harm.
Courts should be allowed to determine liability and damages based on evidence—rather than informal “settlements” that can feel like silence money.
One tragedy too many.
A LASTMA officer died doing a public job: keeping Lagos moving. Two other citizens also lost their lives in seconds. If brake failure is truly the cause, then it points to maintenance culture, not fate.
Headlinenews.news urges the Lagos State Government, FRSC, the Police, and relevant federal regulators to publish a clear incident report timeline, confirm the truck’s ownership and contractor chain, and disclose the vehicle’s maintenance and inspection history. Anything less will deepen public distrust and invite more anger on the streets.
Right of reply: Headlinenews.news encourages Dangote Group, its logistics contractors, and regulators to respond with verifiable facts on fleet safety standards, driver training, maintenance audits, and enforcement actions taken after previous incidents.
The National Patriots Movement expresses grave concern over the recurring fatal incidents involving heavy-duty trucks on Nigerian roads, following the tragic death of a LASTMA officer and two other citizens in Lagos. While due process must determine liability, repeated mechanical failures point to systemic safety questions that regulators cannot ignore. Where corporate negligence is established, sanctions must be firm and transparent.
We further call for justifiable compensation to affected families in line with international civil liability standards — not token settlements. Where compensation in past cases was inadequate, those cases should be reviewed. Families who lose breadwinners deserve structured support capable of sustaining them long-term. Government must enforce stricter fleet regulation, designated truck corridors, and mandatory safety audits to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
We have been informed that an NGO is presently compiling the number of deaths caused by Dangote Trucks nationwide over the last ten years with facts & evidence. This will be published once available.
Dr. Imran Khazaly.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report.
