By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Following Saturday’s fatal auto crash at Akungba in Ondo State, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has cautioned local governments across the country against locating markets on major highways.
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, who gave the warning urged local government administrators in the country to relocate markets from the highways, noting that such relocation will help the existing operational efforts of the FRSC towards enhancing the safety of the entire motoring population.
According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal made this call while decrying the road traffic crash caused by break failure and loss of control that claimed multiple lives at the Ibaka area of Akungba Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday evening.
Lamenting the huge loss of lives and damage to properties occasioned by the unfortunate but avoidable occurrence, Oyeyemi explained that the crash occurred at about 6.30 pm on Sarturday, October 31, 2020, when a DAF Truck loaded with bags of rice rammed into the stalls in the market and crashed into a Toyota Camry saloon car, Toyota corolla and 3 other motorcycles.
The fatal crash involved a total of 23 people comprising of 11 male adults, 3 male children, 7 female adults and 2 female children. Out of the 23 people involved, a total of 7 people comprising of 3 male adults, 3 female adults and 1 male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries and taking to the hospital.
Sixteen people were killed comprising of 8 male adults, 2 male children, 4 female adults and 2 female children and the dead bodies have been deposited at Specialist Hospital Ikare and General Hospital Iwaro Oka mortuaries respectively by FRSC emergency rescue teams.
The Corps Marshal who spoke extensively on the urgency of such relocations also revealed that the Corps was concerned with the rising statistics of innocent citizens who have lost their lives as a result of building markets close to the highways and has since initiated impact oriented operational strategies to curb the menace.
He however lamented that the strategies no matter how good will not yield desired results if the government at the grassroots did not rise to the responsibility of relocating those markets.
Commiserating with the families of the victims, the Corps Marshal advised road users to be more disciplined, maintain their vehicles regularly and maintain prescribed speed limits at all times especially crowded places like markets.