By Nchendzengang Tatah
The death of a girl rod on by a Dangote truck was announced on August 31, 2025, in a release by the multinational company. The statement concurred that Ruth Otabor was put in critical condition by one of its trucks in mobility at Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria.
While the communication indicated that arrangements had been made for her to be taken for further medical attention in India, she had passed on before that materialised.
Otabor, following the accident of August 13, 2025, had already had her leg amputated due to the devastating consequences of the feat. Her death in Nigeria flips open pages of similar experiences on Cameroonian soil, where a Dangote Cement plant is located in the economic heartbeat, Douala.
While Dangote trucks trampling on people in Cameroon cannot be compared to what Nigerians are complaining about, Douala remains the base of frequent bad news about truck accident-related deaths. In February this year, a speeding truck collided with a taxi in Bonaberi, killing at least three people. On the same stretch, an accident almost resulted in numerous deaths when a truck collided with a private vehicle on March 4.
In 2021, a Dangote Truck killed at least two and injured several others in Limbe after what was reported as brake failure. In other areas, there are reports that most of the Dangote Cement factory drivers are not well trained and are reckless on the highway.
The situation heavy trucks killing individuals in Cameroon is alarming for some time now. It had caused the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, in 2024 to sound the call to order in the sector. Atanga Nji had blamed the overspeeding nature of heavy-duty trucks for the growing number of road accidents.
The cases of truck-related deaths in city centres are rampant. Measures put to limit it are either not effective or not respected. In 2024, the SDO of Fako Viang Mekala prohibited heavy-duty trucks from entering Limbe except from 10 pm to 5 am. This was a follow-up to two deadly accidents that had happened in the town involving heavy-duty trucks within months.
But are these measures still being implemented?
