Eight Libyan returnees from Edo State have been
killed a motor crash while seven others are in critical condition along Sagamu-Ore
expressway in Ogun State.
The seven who sustained serious injuries are now
lying critically ill, while the corpses of the dead were taken to the Ijebu Ode
General Hospital in the state.
The incident, according to information made available
to journalists occurred at about 10:45 p.m. last week Tuesday close to Omoo River,
J4 area of the road involved a white Toyota Hiace 18-seater commercial bus with
an inscription God’s Care, with the registration number AYB 479 XA and a blue
and white Volvo truck with number plate KSF 79 XL.
It was gathered that the ill-fated commercial bus
had left Benin, the Edo State capital, late in the night with 15 male and
female returnees from Libya after they had been profiled by the state taskforce
on anti-human trafficking and illegal migration.
They were reported to have headed to Lagos State to
receive spiritual and financial assistance from the General Overseer of the
Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T.B. Joshua, who has
consistently been a benefactor to most trapped returnees and other less
privileged members of the public.
The identities of the victims are not yet known as
at press time because there was no manifest from the commercial bus to indicate
their names.
However, the Ogun State Sector Commandant of the Federal
Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Clement Oladele, who confirmed the incident
in a telephone on Monday , said the crash happened when the driver of the truck
drove against the traffic and had a head on collision with the commercial bus.
He explained that out of the 15 occupants of the
commercial bus, nine were adult males, five females and one female child.
Oladele further stated that those who got injured
included five males and two females while the other eight were burnt beyond
recognition.
According to the FRSC commandant, the fatal
accident happened due to “route violation following driving against traffic by
the truck, dangerous driving and over speeding.
“The injured were taken to Ijebu Ode General
Hospital and the corpses of the dead were deposited at the hospital mortuary.
The burnt carcasses of the bus were removed from the road by the FRSC rescue
team.”
He also advised motorists to desist from driving
against traffic, while passengers in vehicles driving against traffic should
caution their drivers and report the driver by dialing FRSC toll free number
122.
Following this incident, parents and relations of
most of the returnees have been besieging the Motel Benin Plaza in search of
their wards who returned to the state from Libya in the past one month.
Reacting, the Special Adviser on Media and
Communication Strategy to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, when
contacted, said the state government was deeply saddened by the unfortunate
incident.
He said however that the state government should
not be blamed for the ugly incident, noting that on arrival from Libya all the
returnees who are indigenes of Edo State were given the full complement of the
state government by profiling them and giving them all the necessary assistance
that would enable them reintegrate into the society and unite with their
families.
According to him, “It is not like they were kept in
prison like in Libya, they may have embarked on the trip to Lagos on their own
volition. However, the state government will make effort to reach families of
those who died or affected in the crash."
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