The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has revealed how an articulated truck allegedly crushed a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Oluwatosin Abidakun, to death after reportedly hitting several vehicles in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Abidakun, who had recently resumed her primary assignment at the Oyo State House of Assembly, died on Monday when the truck rammed into the motorcycle conveying her around Agodi Gardens in Ibadan North Local Government Area.
Her fellow corps member, who was also riding on the motorcycle, sustained injuries, including a broken leg, and was rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for treatment.
The FRSC State Sector Commander, Kehinde Dahunsi, confirmed the incident, saying officials had evacuated the victims to the appropriate medical facilities.
Dahunsi disclosed that the agency had received reports that the truck driver allegedly hit several vehicles around the Sango area before proceeding towards Agodi Gardens.
According to him, the affected motorists were reportedly pursuing the truck driver when he allegedly rammed into the motorcycle carrying the two corps members.
“That’s what we were hearing: that he crushed some vehicles, and those people – the drivers of the vehicles he crushed were pursuing him. So, he now went and hit the motorcycle that carried a corps member,” Dahunsi said.
He confirmed that only one corps member had been reported dead, while the motorcycle rider sustained a broken leg.
“It was only one corps member, a female, who died so far, because the corps member was on a motorcycle. The motorcycle rider broke his leg. And we have evacuated them,” he said.
Dahunsi added that Abidakun was taken to the Adeoyo Hospital morgue, while the injured survivor was transported to UCH for medical attention.
The circumstances surrounding the truck driver’s alleged earlier collisions and the fatal crash have raised concerns over the sequence of events that culminated in the young woman’s death.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, has expressed grief over the death of the corps member, describing the incident as a painful and devastating loss.
In a condolence statement issued in Ibadan on Tuesday, Ogundoyin said Abidakun’s death was particularly heartbreaking because she had only recently begun her national service, with hopes and aspirations for the future.
“The life of a promising young Nigerian had been cut short in such tragic circumstances. The incident is a loss not only to her family and friends but also to the state House of Assembly, where she had recently commenced her service year,” he said.
The Speaker extended his condolences to the deceased’s family, friends, colleagues and fellow corps members, praying that God would give them the strength to bear the loss.
He also expressed concern over the condition of the surviving corps member and prayed for a speedy and complete recovery.
Abidakun’s death has cast a shadow over the Assembly, where she had only just begun her service year before the fatal crash cut short her life.
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