By Onome Oghenetega
The police in Delta State has dismissed any form of fatality in Tuesday’s accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, during an inspection visit to the Second Niger Bridge in Asaba which is under construction.
One of the vehicles in the convoy was said to have plunged into a ditch injuring at least four security operatives during the accident.
Gambari alongside the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; and his counterpart in Labour and Employment, Christ Ngige, were in Asaba on Tuesday to inspect ongoing works at the bridge when the incident took place.
Four policemen were reportedly injured in the accident that occurred on Tuesday evening after the inspection.
The driver of one of the security vehicles conveying operatives lost control and crashed into a deep pit while trying to maneuver it way resulting in the incident.
But findings by NIGER DELTA TODAY revealed that four of the injured policemen sustained different degree of injuries forcing some members of the convoy to rush the victims to hospital in Asaba.
It was not clear at the time of filing this story on Wednesday if any of the victims lost their lives to the accident.
But an eyewitness, John Okorie, had told The PUNCH that the incident occurred when the vehicle conveying the victims was negotiating the bend leading to the construction site of the Second Niger Bridge in Asaba.
“The policeman driver was speeding and while negotiating the bend because of the speed could not control the vehicle. They crashed into a deep pit. I was at the back of the convoy, driving slowly.
“With the help of other people, we rescued four of them but they were badly injured. They were shouting as the vehicle fell on them”, the source told the medium.
When contacted, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, described the incident as a “minor accident” involving a backup vehicle in the convoy during the inspection visit.
He was, however, quick to add that no life was lost to the unfortunate incident on Tuesday.
“It was a minor accident involving one of the backup vehicles. It was a very minor accident not worth reporting. The backup vehicle veered into a ditch but no life was lost. It’s a minor accident as against what is being reported”, Edafe clarified.
