Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A routine Tuesday afternoon at the Apapa port corridor turned into a scene of horror when a heavy-duty truck, fully loaded with plywood, lost control and crushed two people to death at Diamond Tank Junction on Creek Road, Lagos. The incident, which occurred around 2:20 p.m. on August 11, 2026, has once again thrust the persistent issue of extortion along the port access roads into the national spotlight, as eyewitnesses alleged that security personnel were attempting to flag down the driver to demand money moments before the fatal crash.
According to an eyewitness, Joseph Agha, the truck had loaded at Second Gate and was heading to make a U-turn near the MSC company premises when officers, allegedly from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) security and the Port Police, tried to stop it. Agha explained that the area has become a notorious spot for illegal tolls. “An NPA officer and police officers were trying to stop him. Normally, they still collect money from any truck passing that junction, depending on whether it’s a flatbed, empty container, or export,” he said. As the driver attempted to pull over while managing the steering of the heavily laden vehicle, the securing belts holding the cargo snapped under the strain. “The plywood suddenly cut the belts when the driver was trying to manage the steering and attend to them as they were stopping him. That’s when the driver lost control,” Agha added.
Unable to clear the concrete culvert dividing the main road, the truck collided heavily with the structure. The impact caused the heavy plywood load to collapse onto the roadway, crushing two people to death instantly. The driver and his motor boy fled the scene immediately after the crash. Officials from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) arrived promptly, securing the area, managing the resulting traffic chaos, and later removing the truck and clearing the fallen timber before towing the vehicle to Liverpool Road toward Area B for parking and further investigation.
The tragedy at Diamond Tank Junction is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeply entrenched culture of extortion that has plagued the Apapa and Tin Can Island port corridors for years. Industry stakeholders have long complained that illegal checkpoints and extortion along port access roads contribute significantly to rising logistics costs and operational chaos. In June 2026, a joint investigation by the NPA and the Nigeria Police Force identified multiple illegal extortion points along the corridors. Truck owners have estimated that they lose as much as N6.3 billion monthly to extortion, with security agents demanding between N30,000 and N35,000 per truck at various checkpoints.
The Nigerian Ports Authority had recently launched a special task force to eliminate gridlock and extortion on the Apapa port corridors, dismantling over 1,500 illegally parked trucks and unauthorised checkpoints. Yet, as the tragic events of August 11 demonstrate, the problem persists. Eyewitness Agha's account suggests that illegal collections are still being made at key junctions, with security personnel exploiting the vulnerability of truck drivers who are under immense pressure to meet tight delivery schedules.
The incident has sparked fresh outrage among truck operators and maritime stakeholders. The Association of Maritime Truck Owners of Nigeria (AMATO) and other industry bodies have repeatedly called for the prosecution of security personnel found to be extorting truck drivers. The death of two individuals in such a preventable manner has added an urgent human dimension to the long-standing economic grievances. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other authorities have yet to release official statements on the crash, but LASTMA has confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fatal crash.
The Apapa port corridor is a critical artery for Nigeria's economy, handling the bulk of the country's import and export cargo. However, the combination of dilapidated infrastructure, inadequate enforcement, and entrenched corruption has turned the route into a nightmare for truck drivers and a death trap for unsuspecting pedestrians. The tragedy at Diamond Tank Junction is a stark reminder of the human cost of this systemic failure. Two people are dead, a driver is on the run, and a family is grieving, all because of an alleged attempt to collect an illegal toll.
As authorities begin their investigation, they must look beyond the immediate cause of the crash and address the root cause: the extortion racket that continues to thrive along the port access roads. Until that happens, the cycle of tragedy and impunity will continue, and more lives will be lost to the greed of a few.
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