Oyo speaker reacts to death of corps member in road accident

The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, is mourning the death of a National Youth Service Corps member, Oluwatosin Abidakun. She died in a road crash involving a truck in Ibadan on Monday.

Reports say that Oluwatosin was crushed to death while many others were injured when a trailer hit several vehicles near Agodi Gardens, in the Ibadan North Local Government Area on Monday.

Oluwatosin had just started her primary assignment at the state House of Assembly. She was riding home after work with another corps member, who also just began their service at the Assembly, when the crash happened.

The two corps members were on the same motorcycle when an articulated truck rammed into them. Oluwatosin died at the scene, while her fellow corps member was hurt and is now receiving treatment at the University College Hospital in Ibadan.

The Speaker shared his grief in a statement from Ibadan on Tuesday. He called the accident “a painful and devastating loss,” adding that “the death of the young corps member was particularly heartbreaking since she had just started her national service with dreams for the future.

“A promising young Nigerian's life was cut short in such tragic circumstances. This loss hits not just her family and friends but also the state House of Assembly, where she had just begun her service year.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and fellow corps members of the deceased. I pray that God grants them the strength to cope with this significant loss. I also express my concern for the survivor and hope for a quick recovery,” the Speaker said.

Meanwhile, an investigation by PUNCH Online revealed that the truck driver had hit several vehicles in the Sango area before heading to Agodi Gardens, where he crashed into a motorcycle, killing the corps member immediately.

One eyewitness stated, “The truck had been involved in multiple accidents around Sango before this deadly crash. The driver hit several vehicles there before going towards Agodi.”

Another eyewitness said, “Things turned deadly when the truck reached Agodi Gardens and collided with the motorcycle carrying the corps member. The truck hit the motorcycle, killing her and injuring several others.

“The driver was trying to escape after earlier collisions when the incident happened near Agodi Gardens.”

Our correspondent, who visited the crash scene, saw Federal Road Safety Corps members arriving and confirming that the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for care.

Kehinde Dahunsi, the FRSC state sector commandant, confirmed the incident when The PUNCH reached out to him by phone in Ibadan.

Dahunsi said, “Yes, it is true. Only one corps member, a female, died so far because she was on a motorcycle. The motorcycle rider broke his leg. We evacuated them. The corps member was taken to the Adeoyo Hospital morgue, while the other person was taken to the University College Hospital. The truck hit the motorcycle. Our men were there to assist.”

When asked if the truck driver had hit vehicles in Sango earlier, the FRSC commandant said, “That is what we are hearing. He crushed some vehicles, and the drivers were pursuing him. Then he hit the motorcycle carrying the corps member.”