09/03/10
Driver Speaks On Highway Crushing of Nigerians -
Categories: News, Nigerian News, World News -
admin
@ 12:01:33 am
By Masterweb News Desk
The truck driver involved in the runover and crushing to death of at least 19 Nigerians on Ijebu-Ode/Sagamu expressway, has spoken out to newsmen. Late last month Masterweb News Desk carried an article on the highway robbery of a Nigerian luxury bus on lagos- benin expressway which led to the truck-crushing death of many people. The article can be read at http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/25/nigeria_highway_robbery_aamp_gruesome_ma
The two drivers at the center of the armed robbery attack and crushing to death of passengers controversy, have been arrested by police in Abuja. The drivers are: Osayande Idahosa, 40, who hails from Edo State and driver of the crusher truck with registration number XN 808 BEN and Okechukwu Okafor, driver of the robbed Young Shall Grow luxury bus with registration number XF 285 AKD. Okafor hails from Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. The arrests followed recent motion by the Senate for investigations into the expressway mayhem that put in doubt police capacity in tackling crime in the country.
Osayande Idahosa, driver of the killer truck, told reporters the incident took place July 31 last year at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State. Idahosa said on the fateful day, he was driving a Seaner Truck hired by a woman to deliver bags of garri to customers. According to him, he took-off from Benin en route Lagos in company of his conductor and the truck renter. The journey according to Idahosa met heavy traffic jam at Ore which finally paved way to lonely highway up to Obalende area of Ijebu-Ode. On sighting the headlights of a vehicle around 9.45 pm Idahosa said he became more relaxed. “When I saw the lights, I was happy. I did not know that it was an evil light that will continue to haunt me till eternity,” Idahosa told Daily Sun newsmen. According to his account, as they approached the vehicle, he sighted what seemed like barricades of logs of wood on the highway. “I thought it was a police check-point, so I slowed down. But I started hearing gun shots. I saw many people firing at me. Out of panic, I decided to run over what I assumed were logs of woods,” Idahosa speaking in tears told reporters. He said all three of them in the truck panicked as he drove through in high speed, but was thrown in confusion as he heard human cries. The truck wavered through human bodies and ended up in the forest. ( Continues below…… )
Photo Above: Osayande Idahosa, driver of the killer truck
In his words to Sun newsmen Idahosa said: “As my truck ran over the ‘barricades’, I noticed that they were too soft. I also heard gun shots and agonizing cries of people. I suspected that I must have killed some people but I did not know who my victims were. I couldn’t control the vehicle and it ran into the bush. I immediately jumped down and took to my heels. While in the bush, I saw about 20 armed men in civilian clothes searching for me. They were boasting that they would soon fish me out and slaughter me in pieces. At this time, I did not know the fate of my conductor or that of the woman who hired me.” Idahosa said that while the armed robbers where searching his truck, he ran deeper into the forest and hid in a hole. He said he hid in the hole till about 6.00 am the following morning, before finding his way to the highway. He was told by a fellow driver that he had crushed to death 19 innocent lives and advised not to go near the scene of the bloodshed as he would definitely be lynched by the angry mob.
Idahosa got a ride from the driver to Ijebu-Ode junction, where he took an okada (commercial motorcycle) to Obalende police station, where he made a statement to the police. The police took his statement and told him to go back to the scene where at the time, the Commissioner of Police, the Divisional Police Officer and other senior policemen were for an on-the-spot-assessment. Idahosa said when he got to the scene and saw the havoc, shredded corpses after corpses, he wept and surrendered to the police and crowd. He explained: “But rather than stoning me to death, they all started listening to my story on how I unintentionally killed innocent robbery victims who I mistook to be robbers’ barricades. The sympathizers started consoling me, telling me it was not my fault. The policemen took me along with them and I was with them for four days before I was granted bail.” ( Continues below…… )
Photo Above: The killer truck driven by Osayande Idahosa
Okechukwu Okafor, driver of the ill-fated luxury bus, blames the tragedy on bad road condition. According to a statement to Daily Sun newsmen, Okafor said their journey started in the morning of July 31, 2009 at Enugu en route Lagos. He said the trip was smooth until 3.00 pm when they were held up in Ore for four hours by heavy traffic jam. According to him, on reaching a point between the Federal Government College, Odogbolu and Babcock University junction along Ijebu-Ode/Shagamu Expressway, their bus was forced to a stop by armed robbers numbering around 50. Okafor fearing for his life and knowing he did not stand a chance against the intimidating number of the bandits, fled into the forest. He said he heard gun shots and wailing of people in agony while in the forest. In his own words: “I thought it was the robbery gang that was killing my passengers. It was not until the following morning when I found my way out of the bush that I learnt that it was a truck driver who refused to stop for the robbers that ran over my passengers.” Okafor said he weeps when confronted with the tragedy and bloodshed of his passengers. “You know, right from the park at Enugu down to the scene of the ugly incident, we had all become friendly. In fact, in my 22 years of driving, I had not seen or heard such a story that looked like a fairy tale,” Okafor told Sun newsmen.
Police report on the incident states that: “On the 31st of July 2009, at about 11. 30 a.m, a luxurious bus with registration above, loaded with passengers travelling from Enugu to Lagos were attacked by a gang of armed bandits at a spot between Federal Government College, Odogbolu and Babcock University along Ijebu-Ode/Sagamu expressway. During the attack, the suspected armed robbers ordered the passengers of the luxury bus out of the vehicle and made them to lie face down on the expressway. An on-coming truck with reg. XN 808 BEN, driven by one Osayinde Idahosa of Ewetube Egbe Estate, Benin City, who refused to be stopped by the hoodlums, crushed some of the passengers to death. A a total of 19 passengers of the luxury bus which includes 6 females and 13 males were crushed to death by the truck and that there was no Police escort attached to the luxury bus as confirmed by the driver, Okechukwu Okafor who survived the incident. Some of the ten corpses have been collected by their relations for burial after proper identification and documentation and that some of the corpses were crushed beyond recognition and yet to be identified or collected by their relations or kinsmen.”
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, speaking to reporters said: “Following some offensive photographs being posted on the internet by some mischievous people who made the incident looked like it happened recently, the force would like to inform the public that the ugly accident happened on July 31, 2009.” He said 19 passengers, including six females and 13 males, were crushed to death by the truck, and that the file in respect of the case had been duplicated and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice. Mr. Ojukwu’s comments on mischievous postings on the incident does not apply to Masterweb updated news report, which referenced Sunday Tribune 2/8/09 article on the incident.
Please forward any new information, article or photo you may have regarding this incident to admin@nigeriamasterweb.com. Please include your phone number in your email, so that our News Team can reach you on the phone.
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Photo Above: Helpless Nigerians run over by a trailer after they lay down on the ground on the orders of armed robbers.
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*Tags: Nigerians, Crime, Armed, Robbers, Africa, Masterweb
Comments:
I pray that God should give the families of the victims the heart to bear such irreparable lost.
More to come soon.
The senate should make it a mandatory job to invite all the surviving passangers of the bus ,the conductor and the woman that chartered the truck to really obtain accurate naration of what actually happened.Mind you the survivals must not be treathene or intimidated or detain by the police.The senate should sponsor their transportation,feeding and lodging for the period of investigation in Abuja or where ever.
of this article. Can read your article is my lucky.
solely concern about the security of its people and not to be delibrating over
meaningless issues.
no good road
no security
no food
no light
no job
no water
no home
no hospital
no education
no good governance
everything is sick
including our government.
GOD WILL DELIVER NIGERIA SOON!!!!!!!!!!
whole tragedy is not his fault but I mean with head lights you should see what you intend to
climb. That said, the country we live in is hell already and I tell you evil will never stop in this
country unless there is a revolution. We live in cursed social system. Its not even a matter of
how many churches we have, evil will continue because of the character of impoverishment of
the masses.
Honestly, Lagos-Ore-Benin road is a KILLER ROAD!
Our leaders have erred in their responsibilities to the led.The level of insecurity is on the higher state. They should remember that day, THE DAY OF JUDGEMEMT.The day the have and have-not will stand side -close in the presence of the ALMIGHTY ALLAH to give account of what individual had done while alive.
Nigeria is a great Country. A total turnaround is in sight.!
Well it is only in my sick country, that you can imagine or see that type of thing.Where the president is not seen or heard, only God can deliver that country from the hands of the greedy cabals called leaders.
May the souls of the departed, rest in peace. AMEN.
Government should do something urgent about that particular road.
It is my fervent prayer that God should give the families of the victims the heart
to bear such irreparable lost.
In all totality, everyone including I condemn anything that is linked to forcefully taking away anything – life, limbs, money, property, happiness, etc - that belongs to anyone! I know that all values, mores and ethics condemn such too. As a wedded and communicant Roman Catholic for instance, more than two out of our 10 commandments of God state this! I mean placing premium on human lives and not stealing in any way. Specifically, commandments 7, 9 and 10 forbid these in unequivocal terms. Commandments 4 and 5 also imply it.
Back to the issue at hand, prior to now, I had told a few friends that I forwarded / sent the picture to, as sent to me that I do not think that robbers would deliberately act that way as portrayed by the said picture, nor would the driver act so cowardly. This does not in any way mean that I am defending the said robbers. I shall never do! Contrary to that instead, they have most of the blame As Africans, especially Nigerians, we place a very high premium on human lives. We are all too familiar with stories of robbers praying before ‘operation’, as we can see in some ‘Naija’ movies. Even amidst presumably politically-motivated killings (Saro-Wiwas, Dele Giwas, Bola Iges, Rewanes, Moshood & Kudirat Abiolas, etc), the alleged perpetrators are amongst those that take the front row in the mourning process. They go out of their way to appease their consciences to atone for their acts. What of those that use their ill-gotten wealth to erect places of worship or do such related public-spirited acts and donate same to the people? We could for instance remember the likes of the then Lawrence Anini and his money-spraying tendencies to the general public. This is because of our value system as Africans. We strive to ‘give back’ what we took inappropriately because we believe in natural justice (or Karma according to some schools of thought). We also believe in re-incarnation and the likes. Imagine then if you beget a child (grand child or such relatives) that you masterminded its forceful departure in a prior world! What would be the likely outcome of such a birth? Same applies to those who use their positions of authority / privilege to cause the deaths of others! We hear of such acts in other lands outside Africa. We do not have to ignore the fact that such acts might be creeping into our fabrics, like the ethnic/religious cleansings of Central African Republic, Darfur, Rwanda and Northern Nigeria (Boko Haram, Plateau, etc.). These are pocket cases compared to what pertains in other places like Bosnia Herzegovina, etc. and as commonly practised during the colonial times and earlier (Hitler, White Dominions of Canada, American apartheid, and as recorded in such diverse places as Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, Brazil, India, Greenland, Russia, Guatemala, Ecuador, South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Chile, Bolivia, China etc.). Another of such acts of recent memory has to do with slavery as well as the apartheid system of South Africa that has left multi-generational scars on the psyches of races and tribes. I do not wish to mention such others like the man-made diseases, or those diseases that were deliberately left untreated in some people to ascertain their effects on the long run (like syphilis, of which a sitting president had to apologise to the race involved). In this era of information technology / internet, one needs to go to any search engine and just type ‘synthetic’ and the name of any disease that you have a hunch that it never existed before to get the information.
I do not in any way wish to deviate from the subject. I am interested in contributing to averting future occurrences. The trailer ran over the victims because there was no street light for the trailer driver to see from afar. How can there be street lights when we do not have lights in our rooms? Why should we have light when the ‘sea level’ is low as we are always told? Alright, do we have an option rather than complaining? Must we depend on hydro-electric power and gas turbines? Cant we source for other alternative sources of renewable and environment-friendly energy sources? As residents of the equator, can’t we harness solar power? We are blest daily with enough sunlight. If we deploy and harness solar energy effectively, the amount of sun power that we get in a single day can power the whole Nigerian street lights for a year! What of wind power? Cant we harness this by establishing wind farms? The wind power of Bar Beach alone can power the whole houses in Nigeria effectively! Either of these two sources can effectively generate over 20,000 megawatts stable electricity supply as required by Nigeria, in my rating!
I remember jocularly telling one of my friends that the reason why we have very low accident rates compared to their country is because their roads are so smooth and lighted that even the sound of the vehicle you are travelling in will lull you to sleep. I compared this with our roads that one needs to be at alert to dodge pot-holes (they are actually bigger than pot holes) along our highways, aroused by pot-holes we inevitably hit especially at night and other such things that keep us awake along the road! We need to move around countries that have little or none of these natural resources that are abundant in Nigeria to appreciate how we wallow in wants amidst plenitude! Even the petroleum fuel that we are presently one of the top 10 worldwide producers is not only imported but scarce with our refineries moribund! Come to the telecommunications sector. Check out the likes of glo and MTN and compare them to NITEL and MTEL that are supposed to compete with the world’s best telecoms firms! I have never seen where people in positions of authority go out of their way to ensure that nothing works even when providence has provided for everything to work! Move around the world and see what we contribute intellectually to other countries (Emeagwalis, Achebes, Mbanefos, etc). Why then do we excel abroad but are laggards back home? Are our gatekeepers accountable? To who are they accountable? How many months have we been without a key officer, with other nationalities laughing at us? Please see this link: http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100204450971. Up till now, there in no official statement from the person involved, after weeks of purportedly returning to base. Instead alien words are creeping into our words of daily usage. A typical example of such inglorious words is ‘cabal’. Who then is fooling who as these people after all these send their children abroad to live and study and many of these golden-spoon-fed children turn into miscreants. One of such children was so misguided that he nearly made a bomb out of a moving airliner during the last Christmas period resulting in Nigeria being regarded as a terrorist nation! Just like most of us, I lose sleep daily wondering if my children will grow in alien lands (with its attendant challenges) and not enjoy the luxury that I had growing up in the land of my roots and learning our very noble values system. I am eternally grateful to my parents for giving me such an opportunity. On the part of my children, I hope that they will understand this if I am forced to take a contrary decision, as it is in their best interest. They have to, or they might be caught up in the retrogressive cycle when they will start getting their autonomy starting from their JAMB days up to employment blues (when they will encounter realities like ‘cut off marks’, ‘catchment areas’, ‘more than two sittings’, ‘indigenes’, ‘quota system’, ‘okada accidents’, ‘kidnapping’, etc! They experienced NEPA but being youngsters, its fun as its time to help the parents power the toxic-emitting and noisy generator by making us spend more time with their interventions and assistances in the process (see this: http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/j13/forum/lounge/32191-what-lagos-state-government-doing-about-noise-pollution-print.html). Being lively kids, the noise even competes with theirs and makes it more fun from their perspective! On my part as a kid then, I am really providential that till date, I was never a victim of such invisible ceilings back home or even now that I am not. I give God the glory. What then of those that were victims and others that would be? How do we avert it?
I return to the subject.
I request everyone in sympathy with this cause to please pray for the safe repose of these innocent souls. They deserve eternal rest. We should also pray for the repentance of the robbers. We all understand how hard it is to survive and should consider our value systems above our selfish interests. Our petitions of repentance should also be extended to those of us that are in one way or the other tarnishing our collective and individual reputations ((hard) drug peddlers, 419ers, thieving politicians, clergies with larceny tendencies, etc.). These ‘unAfrican’ characters need to be removed from our consciousness.
Evil never pays. Our societies promote natural justice- ‘do to no one what will not be good to you when done to you’. We should awake to our civic morals. The future starts today.
I shall end this writing as most Nigerian films end, “TO GO BE THE GLORY”.
We need REVOLUTION in all aspect i:e politically, educationally, economically and socially, but the most important one is ''political revolution'', If we have it maybe we it will bring about a lasting SOLUTION then if not we can head for DISSOLUTION of this disjointed nation
We need REVOLUTION in all aspect i:e politically, educationally, economically and socially, but the most important one is ''political revolution'', If we have it maybe we it will bring about a lasting SOLUTION then if not we can head for DISSOLUTION of this disjointed nation
I KNOW THAT BY NOW THE RUBBERS WILL BE FEELING GUILTY ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I CAN SEE THEM CHANGING THEIR LIVES. AMEN.
Fed Government of Nigeria have to be held responsible for this tragedy for carless for the Fed highways in the country, only to make sure that the president sit is from the northern part of Nigeria, but why. It is FPRO/ Police that is mischievous trying to cover the story whether it happened now or years ago is not an issue but what are the lessons learnt and measure put in place to prevent re-occurrence. the rate of crime will reduced or minimised if there are more jobs and adequate security and When an evil doer knows that there is No hiding place for him he deceased from doing
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