Stakeholders lament avoidable deaths on Anambra highways

Residents of Anambra State are worried over the high rate of road crashes in the state.

They are blaming authorities of the Anambra State sector command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for these deaths, while others see Anambra State Road Traffic Maintenance Agency (ARTMA) as being the problem, especially with their aggressive enforcement of road traffic offenders, which tends to push many into accidents.

There have been incidents where broken down trucks have been abandoned on the highway for days without being removed, or no caution signs to warn road users of them, leading to accidents.

Recently, a young lawyer, who was simply identified as Okechukwu, was killed in a tragic road crash that occurred along the Awka axis of the Awka-Enugu Expressway in Anambra State.

The incident happened last week Sunday.

It was gathered that he died after his vehicle hit an abandoned stationary articulated truck on the road and somersaulted into a nearby drainage at night.

A kinsman of the victim, who identified himself simply as Ugo, said the deceased had just deposited the remains of his late mother at the mortuary and was driving home when the incident happened.

The kinsman said, “The incident happened along the expressway along the Awka axis.

“The deceased thought the truck was moving, but when he realised it wasn’t moving, it was too late; he hit it, and his car veered into the gutter.

“The lawyer had recently welcomed a newborn with his wife, whom he married in February this year. His sudden demise has left his loved ones in shock.

“He had just put his late mother in the mortuary and was preparing for the funeral. Now he’s joined her in the mortuary.

“The incident serves as a stark reminder of life’s unpredictable nature and the importance of cherishing every moment.

“It was an avoidable death caused by allowing abandoned vehicles to stay on the road longer than necessary.

“The stationary vehicle was in a dangerous position on the road, thereby, posing a serious danger to other road users.”

The victim’s remains was said to have later been deposited at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, after he was confirmed dead, same mortuary where he had deposited his mother’s remains, hours earlier before the unfortunate incident.

Anambra residents, who commented on the matter, had criticised traffic officials, including the Federal Road Safety Corps, for allegedly allowing the abandoned truck to remain on the road longer than necessary without taking action to tow it away.

A journalist, Mr Jude Atupulazi condemned the habit of leaving broken down trucks on the highway for days, without caution signs or even removing them.

He called on the relevant government agencies, the FRSC and ARTMA to be alive to their duties, saying that such may cause avoidable deaths in the state.

Atupulazi, who took to his Facebook page, further warned about another abandoned truck, not so far from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, close to Aroma.

He said the truck has been there for days, and that if an avoidable death happened as a result of it, people would start wailing.

Another resident of the state, Mr Chukwuma Nwaeze said: “I think FRSC and ARTMA share the blame together.

“But the blame is more on ARTMA because they serve the state directly and should be more concerned about her people.

“The government of the state has provided them with tow-trucks, but what is more important to them is to use it to tow vehicles that they will impound and collect monies from.

“They cannot see a broken down vehicle and tow it off the road to avoid accidents. They are more particular about the money they will use it to make.”

Meanwhile, Sector Commander, FRSC, Anambra State Command, Joyce Alexander, while reacting to abandonment of trucks on the roads, said officials of the command cannot be everywhere at the same time.

She solicited for volunteers who can help them in the job they do.

She commiserated with the family of the lawyer who lost their son in the avoidable death.

She said, “I am aware that he (lawyer) ran into a broken-down stationary truck.

“Unfortunately, this happened in the night and the FRSC rescue team that went for the rescue operation could not ascertain from any eyewitness what really happened.

“It was obviously not a tyre burst, as no tyre burst was observed. The only likely explanation is excessive speed, which might have led to loss of control.

“We arrived at this conclusion because of the skid marks on the crash scene.

“I have also visited the scene to confirm the marks and the apparent struggle with the steering before the vehicle eventually tumbled.

“I did like to point out here that FRSC is not, and cannot be at every place.

“And that’s why we solicit the collaboration and assistance of so many groups and individuals, the media included.

“That is also why we have the FRSC toll-free emergency number: 122. We rely on every member of the society to alert us on crashes and obstructions.

“At another time, because the truck could not be towed due to the load it was carrying, I had directed my staff to cordon-off the scene with reflective tapes to warn oncoming traffic in the night, pending when the truck could be offloaded and towed in the morning.”

Stakeholders lament avoidable deaths on Anambra highways