One dead, six injured in A’Ibom road crash

A driver of a taxi cab has died after his car crashed into a broken down caterpillar on Uyo Nung Udoe Road in the Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The vehicle, with number plate FH 701 APP, crashed into a broken down caterpillar belonging to Miros Engineering Company on Wednesday around 7:54pm.
It was gathered that three persons also sustained fatal injuries in the accident and were taken to a hospital in the area.
One of the passengers was said to have lost his left hand. The other two passengers reportedly had deep cuts on their legs, arms and other parts of the body.
An eyewitness, Mr. Edet Okon, told our correspondent that the driver was trying to evade the Ministry of Transport Task Force officials that were chasing his vehicle from Aka Road when the accident occurred.
The task force officials usually arrest those who pick passengers in places not designated as bus stops. They also harass commercial drivers to buy the state transport tickets.
It was gathered that the accident happened when the driver was trying to evade the officials.
Okon said, “Apart from the overzealous attitude of the officials, it is unfortunate that we have been having accidents like this as a result of government agencies’ neglect. How long will it take the state government or the Federal Road Safety Corps to remove broken down vehicles from the road? This vehicle has been lying here for over a month.”
he Chairman, Town Service Drivers’ Union, Aka Road Unit, Mr. Solomon Ekanem, said the late driver was a member of the union, commonly described as 701.
He said, “The vehicle that caused the accident is a caterpillar. There is no towing van that can move this vehicle away from the road. The FRSC should find out the owner and enforce its repairs and removal from the road.”
The corps’ Sector Commander, Mr. Ramalan Yerima, confirmed the incident, but said the command lacked equipment to evacuate broken down vehicles on the road.
He said, “We have made many requests for assistance to the state government to provide us with tow-truck and operational vehicles, but up till now, the government has yet to answer us.”
Efforts to speak with the Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Godwin Ntukudeh, proved abortive as he did not pick his calls. He had also yet to reply to text messages sent to his phone as of press time.