By BOLA BAMIGBOLA AND PATRICK ODEY
A couple, whose names had yet to be ascertained, and five others have been confirmed dead in a road accident that occurred in Oogi, Osun State.
According to persons close to the scene of the accident, the vehicle involved was coming from Osogbo axis, heading to Ode-Omu, when the accident occurred some minutes past 7 pm on Friday. The driver of the vehicle was said to have lost control, as it veered off the road and fell into a ditch, killing some of the occupants on the spot and leaving others injured.
A resident of Oogi, simply identified as Adamo, who was at the scene of the accident, said a male adult and resident of Ode-Omu was brought out of the vehicle dead.
Adamo added, “No one could say how it happened because we were not there when it happened, but when we rushed down to the scene, the vehicle fell into a ditch, meaning that the driver lost control. It happened past 7 pm in the evening on Friday around Oogi community here. A male adult was brought out of the vehicle dead. He was wearing the same dress as another occupant, a woman.
“Officials who came around told us they were a couple. The wife also died while being taken to hospital. Five other persons also died in the accident, bringing the total to seven. Police and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps came around after the accident to remove the bodies and take the injured to the hospital.”
When contacted, Osun Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Henry Benamaisia, said the accident claimed seven lives, as he urged motorists to always obey traffic rules.
In a related development, three persons, including two females and one male, have been confirmed dead while one was injured in another auto crash that occurred in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The accident, which occurred along Itu-Uyo road at about 5 am Saturday morning, involved a Mack Truck with registration number KMM 412 XA and a tricycle with registration number ETN 815 WR.
A statement by the Akwa Ibom State command of the Federal Road Safety Corps said its operatives moved the injured to the hospital for prompt medical attention while the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue.
The statement which was signed by the Public Enlightenment Officer of the command, Paul James, blamed the cause of the accident on speeding on the part of the tricyclist and inadequate lighting systems from both vehicles to enable clear visibility.
It added, “Three females and one male, all adults, were involved, and two out of the three females and the one male were confirmed dead while one of the females sustained injury. FRSC operatives mobilised and moved over swiftly to attend to the situation. Upon arrival at the crash scene, the injured were moved to a nearby hospital for prompt medical attention while the deceased was deposited at a morgue.”
