By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Barely one year after a fatal multiple crash that claimed several lives occured at the popular Idemili Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, another multiple crash has hit the ever-busy spot again, involving several persons.
The latest crash, which occurred in the morning of Friday, July 18, reportedly came barely three days after another crash happened almost at the same spot, and barely four months after another crashed claimed four lives in the area.
The crash report is corroborated by videos from the scene of the accident, which are currently trending on social media, showing several vehicles at scene, including a Mack Trailer and commercial vehicles.
Some residents, survivors, and angry youths were also captured in the videos bemoaning the recurring crash, while also helping to rescue some of the trapped victims.
Although the real cause of the crash is still sketchy, some of the youths and drivers were clearly heard in the video blaming it on police checkpoint and activities of some government revenue collectors in the area which queue up many vehicles from time to time, thereby making it easier and non-optional for any crashing vehicle in the sloppy hill to use the hold-up as a wedge. These allegations notwithstanding, some police operatives were also seen in the video helping to clear the traffic.
However, the full details of the crash are yet to be ascertained, while no official information has also been made available to newsmen about it, as at the time of this publication.
In a bid to confirm and get further details about the crash, this reporter contacted the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Anambra State, Corps Commander Joyce Nnennaya Alexander, who, in her response, explained that the FRSC operatives cannot be everywhere at everytime, and therefore requested for the video of the said crash, which the reporter also sent to her.
However, after watching the video, the Corps Commander, confirmed to the reporter that some accidents happened in Anambra State over the week, although the details were not made known to the public. She confirmed that the State Command had duly reported the crashes to the FRSC Headquarters as required, and must not issue press release or share details with journalists about every crash that happens in the state. She further stressed that the video sent by the reporter was not a representative of any of the accidents she knows about.
CC Alexander revealed that one of the accidents happened at Oraifite, but declined to disclose where and when the other accident(s) happened in the state over the week. She also said that she did not hear when it was mentioned in the video that the crash occured in Obosi, even as she further told the reporter to go and fact-check the video to ensure it was not an old video.
“As the Sector Commander, Anambra State, I am saying I’m not aware of the crash you showed me the video now. I don’t know where it happened. I don’t know when it happened,” she asserted.
However, when the reporter asked her whether she was confirming that there was no crash in Obosi over the week or saying that she was not aware of any crash in Obosi over the week, the FRSC Boss warned the journalist not to quote her as saying so; or else, she would take it up with him.
“Izunna, don’t quote me, I have not mentioned Obosi. You’re the one that mentioned Obosi. But if you’re insisting on asking me if there was any crash in Obosi over the week, I will not answer that. But if you go and quote me that I said there was no crash in Obosi, I will take it up with you,” she warned.
Efforts by this reporter to contact the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, for his reaction over the allegations against the police and their checkpoints as the key cause of the recurring multiple crashes in Obosi Idemili proved unsuccessful as at the time of this publication.
Watch the videos from the scene below:
