Many Ki||ed, Injured As Flour Truck Pursued By Nigerian Soldiers Crashes Into Shops
Three people, including a lawyer, have reportedly died, while several others sustained severe injuries when a flour-laden truck, being pursued by soldiers, crashed into shops in Utu Etim Ekpo, the headquarters of Etim Ekpo Local Government Area (LGA) in Akwa Ibom State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Monday, when a military patrol team began chasing the truck after its driver defied an order to stop at a checkpoint near Nkwot Ikot Ebo, along the Iwukem-Etim Ekpo-Abak Road.
Eyewitnesses reported that the truck was travelling from Iwukem towards Abak when soldiers flagged it down.
Vanguard reports that Eno Umanah, a motorcyclist and eyewitness, recounted the incident: “The truck, loaded with flour, was travelling from the Iwukem direction toward Abak when it was flagged down at the soldiers’ checkpoint at Nkwot Ikot Ebo. However, the driver refused to stop.
“The soldiers attempted to overtake the truck, but the driver continued to speed towards them. The soldiers were forced to scramble for safety as the truck barreled down a slope toward the roundabout. It was impossible to safely navigate at that speed.
“The driver ultimately lost control, veering off the road and crashing into a row of makeshift shops near the motor park, instantly killing the victims, including a lawyer, whose name is yet to be disclosed.”
Akaninyene Umanah, another local resident, claimed that over 70 lives, including those of churchgoers returning from a convention and travellers, have been lost on that road.
Many locals believe the frequent fatalities are linked to the poorly constructed roundabout in the area.
A civil engineer familiar with the site described the location as having “poor and irregular road alignment by the contractors,” alleging that a prominent politician from Etim Ekpo collaborated with government officials to alter the original road design during construction.
A female survivor of the crash suffered severe leg injuries and was met with disappointment and delay when seeking medical attention.
Initially, she was turned away by two nearby hospitals – Divine Love Hospital in Utu Ikot Imonte and Utu Etim Ekpo Government Hospital.
Fortunately, she eventually received care at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), which was about a 45-minute drive from the crash site.
