A young girl was on Sunday morning feared dead, as a commercial bus driver also known as Sabo/Lagere, rammed into a paint’s shop at the popular Sharp Corner area, Fajuyi, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
It was gathered that the accident which occurred around 8:47am., happened when the driver of the bus with registration number KNR943XA who was reportedly on a high speed, lost the vehicle’s control and went off the road.
Source revealed that about three people including a badly injured young girl were rushed to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex for an emergency treatment. The two motorcycles involved in the accident also got crushed.
Accordingly to the owner of the shop who majors in paint and sales of POP materials, the driver of the empty bus was on a very high speed which has always been a feature of most of the commercial bus drivers in the town.
“I have been here earlier this morning and I only left to buy tyre, he (the driver) was on a very high speed to the point that Okada riders had to stop by the road for their safety.” The shop owner said.
On the other hand, the driver of the ill-fated bus identified as Baba Ibeji who was weeping profusely said, “I am a Sabo/Lagere (Inter-city) driver, I took off from Oranfe area and I was heading to Sabo junction to begin the day’s business with the hope of feeding my family, I didn’t intend to kill or injure anyone.
“It all happened when the side door of my bus fell off and hit an Okada rider and his passenger, so I slowed down to check what happened, only to see myself hitting another person before ramming into this shop.
Although I am broke, I have taken responsibility and have even taken those injured to the hospital for treatment, all I beg for is mercy and forgiveness. I am ruined.”
The environment which was filled with sympathizers was however put under control by the men of the Nigeria Police and stakeholders from the transport union, who jointly drove to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, to check on those injured as at press time.
