By Jude Atupulazi
There have been conflicting reports on the fatal accident at Obosi last Sunday in Anambra State which claimed three lives. While the officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, attributed the cause of the crash to the activities of revenue agents of the Anambra State Government, which was later corroborated by the driver of one of the vehicles, the Anambra State Government insisted that the crash was caused by brake failure by a trailer and not because of the activities of any revenue agent.
Fides reports that eight vehicles were involved in the crash which included a commercial motorcycle with no registration number, three yellow tricycles with no registration numbers, two Toyota Hiace commercial buses with no registration numbers, a white Mack trailer with no registration number, and a navy blue Toyota Camry with no registration number. The crash occurred at about 9.05am on the said Sunday.
According to a press statement signed by RC Margaret B. Onabe, Ag. Sector Public Education Officer on behalf of the Sector Commander Anambra State FRSC, Adeoye Irelewuyi, the probable cause of the fatal crash was loss of control as a result of brake failure.
The statement quoted eyewitnesses as saying that revenue collectors were stopping tricycles and collecting revenue when the brakes of driver of the Mack truck failed, causing him to lose control and ram into the other vehicles.
It gave the number of people involved in the crash as fifteen, comprising three male and two female adults being injured; with three killed, comprising two male and one female child. Seven others were rescued unhurt.
Passersby were said to have taken casualties to the hospital before the arrival of the FRSC rescue team from RS5.36 Oraifite Unit Command Anambra State.
The scene was reportedly tensed up as hoodlums/angry mob came with machetes, protesting and moving towards revenue collectors for orchestrating the crash, the FRSC statement read.
But responding to news reports on the accident, the Anambra State Government through the Press Secretary, Mr Chris Aburime, absolved revenue agents of complicity.
While extending sympathies to the families affected by the unfortunate incident, the state government denied the involvement of its revenue officials in activities leading to it.
Aburime stated in his press statement, ‘It has come to our attention that certain individuals are spreading false information, claiming that the accident was caused by the operations of Anambra State Government revenue officials.
‘We categorically state that this allegation is completely untrue. Government revenue officials do not conduct operations on Sundays, and they were not present at the scene of the accident.
‘The cause of the accident has been traced to a vehicular brake failure of a truck sloping down to Oba and Onitsha from Owerri Axis, leading to the multiple accidents and the associated fatalities.
‘Moreover, the Government revenue service has not authorized anyone or agent for the purposes of revenue collection on the highways, either on State or Federal roads, not to mention weekends.
‘All Government revenue partners can be identified with identification cards and numbers, and the public is entitled to request for the photograph shots of all Government revenue agents and field officers for authentication purposes.
‘The public is hereby advised to call any of the following telephone lines if anyone has reasons to doubt or suspect the authenticity of any State Government revenue personnel: 07066727750, 09053234816, 090166905784, 08083066051, 08178070000.
‘However, Governor Soludo has vowed that, aside the mechanical factor of brake failure, illegal agents found operating on the highways within the state will be arrested and prosecuted.’
But a later video showed one of the drivers, whose vehicle was involved in the crash maintaining that the accident was caused by Government Revenue Agents who made vehicles to pile up there as they collected revenue until the trailer came along and smashed into some of them.
The Anambra State Government has come under hammer many times for its failure to handle the menace of touts.
