This seems like the sadest experience a man can go through in life.After more than year he can now summon the courage to speak about it.
The truck driver involved in the runover and crushing to death
of at least 19 Nigerians on Ijebu-Ode/Sagamu expressway,
has spoken out to newsmen. Late last month Masterweb
News Desk carried an article on the highway robbery of a
Nigerian luxury bus on lagos- benin expressway which led to
the truck-crushing death of many people. The article can be read at http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/ index.php/2010/02/25/
nigeria_highway_robbery_aamp_gruesome_ma The two drivers at the center of the armed robbery attack and
crushing to death of passengers controversy, have been
arrested by police in Abuja. The drivers are: Osayande
Idahosa, 40, who hails from Edo State and driver of the
crusher truck with registration number XN 808 BEN and
Okechukwu Okafor, driver of the robbed Young Shall Grow luxury bus with registration number XF 285 AKD. Okafor hails
from Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. The
arrests followed recent motion by the Senate for
investigations into the expressway mayhem that put in doubt
police capacity in tackling crime in the country.
Osayande Idahosa, driver of the killer truck, told reporters the incident took place July 31 last year at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun
State. Idahosa said on the fateful day, he was driving a
Seaner Truck hired by a woman to deliver bags of garri to
customers. According to him, he took-off from Benin en route
Lagos in company of his conductor and the truck renter. The
journey according to Idahosa met heavy traffic jam at Ore which finally paved way to lonely highway up to Obalende
area of Ijebu-Ode. On sighting the headlights of a vehicle
around 9.45 pm Idahosa said he became more relaxed.
“When I saw the lights, I was happy. I did not know that it was an evil light that will continue to haunt me till eternity,” Idahosa told Daily Sun newsmen. According to his account,
as they approached the vehicle, he sighted what seemed like
barricades of logs of wood on the highway. “I thought it was a police check-point, so I slowed down. But I started hearing
gun shots. I saw many people firing at me. Out of panic, I
decided to run over what I assumed were logs of woods,” Idahosa speaking in tears told reporters. He said all three of
them in the truck panicked as he drove through in high speed,
but was thrown in confusion as he heard human cries. The
truck wavered through human bodies and ended up in the
forest. ( Continues below…… ) Photo Above: Osayande Idahosa, driver of the killer
truck In his words to Sun newsmen Idahosa said: “As my truck ran over the ‘barricades’, I noticed that they were too soft. I also heard gun shots and agonizing cries of people. I suspected
that I must have killed some people but I did not know who
my victims were. I couldn’t control the vehicle and it ran into the bush. I immediately jumped down and took to my heels.
While in the bush, I saw about 20 armed men in civilian
clothes searching for me. They were boasting that they would
soon fish me out and slaughter me in pieces. At this time, I
did not know the fate of my conductor or that of the woman
who hired me.” Idahosa said that while the armed robbers where searching his truck, he ran deeper into the forest and
hid in a hole. He said he hid in the hole till about 6.00 am the
following morning, before finding his way to the highway. He
was told by a fellow driver that he had crushed to death 19
innocent lives and advised not to go near the scene of the
bloodshed as he would definitely be lynched by the angry mob.
Idahosa got a ride from the driver to Ijebu-Ode junction,
where he took an okada (commercial motorcycle) to
Obalende police station, where he made a statement to the
police. The police took his statement and told him to go back
to the scene where at the time, the Commissioner of Police, the Divisional Police Officer and other senior policemen were
for an on-the-spot-assessment. Idahosa said when he got to
the scene and saw the havoc, shredded corpses after
corpses, he wept and surrendered to the police and crowd.
He explained: “But rather than stoning me to death, they all started listening to my story on how I unintentionally killed
innocent robbery victims who I mistook to be robbers’ barricades. The sympathizers started consoling me, telling
me it was not my fault. The policemen took me along with
them and I was with them for four days before I was granted
bail.” ( Continues below…… ) Photo Above: The killer truck driven by Osayande
Idahosa Okechukwu Okafor, driver of the ill-fated luxury bus, blames
the tragedy on bad road condition. According to a statement
to Daily Sun newsmen, Okafor said their journey started in
the morning of July 31, 2009 at Enugu en route Lagos. He
said the trip was smooth until 3.00 pm when they were held
up in Ore for four hours by heavy traffic jam. According to him, on reaching a point between the Federal Government
College, Odogbolu and Babcock University junction along
Ijebu-Ode/Shagamu Expressway, their bus was forced to a
stop by armed robbers numbering around 50. Okafor fearing
for his life and knowing he did not stand a chance against the
intimidating number of the bandits, fled into the forest. He said he heard gun shots and wailing of people in agony while
in the forest. In his own words: “I thought it was the robbery gang that was killing my passengers. It was not until the
following morning when I found my way out of the bush that I
learnt that it was a truck driver who refused to stop for the
robbers that ran over my passengers.” Okafor said he weeps when confronted with the tragedy and bloodshed of his
passengers. “You know, right from the park at Enugu down to the scene of the ugly incident, we had all become friendly. In
fact, in my 22 years of driving, I had not seen or heard such a
story that looked like a fairy tale,” Okafor told Sun newsmen. Police report on the incident states that: “On the 31st of July 2009, at about 11. 30 a.m, a luxurious bus with registration
above, loaded with passengers travelling from Enugu to
Lagos were attacked by a gang of armed bandits at a spot
between Federal Government College, Odogbolu and
Babcock University along Ijebu-Ode/Sagamu expressway.
During the attack, the suspected armed robbers ordered the passengers of the luxury bus out of the vehicle and made
them to lie face down on the expressway. An on-coming truck
with reg. XN 808 BEN, driven by one Osayinde Idahosa of
Ewetube Egbe Estate, Benin City, who refused to be stopped
by the hoodlums, crushed some of the passengers to death. A
a total of 19 passengers of the luxury bus which includes 6 females and 13 males were crushed to death by the truck and
that there was no Police escort attached to the luxury bus as
confirmed by the driver, Okechukwu Okafor who survived the
incident. Some of the ten corpses have been collected by
their relations for burial after proper identification and
documentation and that some of the corpses were crushed beyond recognition and yet to be identified or collected by
their relations or kinsmen.” Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel
Ojukwu, speaking to reporters said: “Following some offensive photographs being posted on the internet by some
mischievous people who made the incident looked like it
happened recently, the force would like to inform the public
that the ugly accident happened on July 31, 2009.” He said 19 passengers, including six females and 13 males, were
crushed to death by the truck, and that the file in respect of
the case had been duplicated and forwarded to the Director of
Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice. Mr. Ojukwu’s comments on mischievous postings on the incident does not
apply to Masterweb updated news report, which referenced
Sunday Tribune 2/8/09 article on the incident.

July 2009 or not, 'when' it happened is not the issue.
Such ought not to have happend.

Nigerian police sef.