As tipper driver runs away..
By Olawale Lamina
Tragedy struck yesterday evening (Tuesday), along the newly constructed Arterial Road (Jahi/Katampe Expressway), close to ‘the environmental’ when a Tiper vehicle laden with sand overrun a keke tricycle conveying four passengers and the driver, leading to immediate loss of six lives, including a person initially hit by same tipper driver on the expressway.
Speaking on the development, a family member of three of the deceased, Ismaila, said that that the copses of the accident victims were deposited at the Jahi Chief’s palace, where burial arrangements are being planned ( as at the time of filing thus report)
But, efforts to get the Kado-Kuchi/Jahi Chief on phone proved abortive as his phone line could not be reached.
An eyewitness who also spoke on the development said that the Tiper driver, now at large, had earlier hit a man on bike along the same expressway. He claimed that the victim too died instantly, making the number of casualties six.
According to the man who spoke under conditions of anonymity, it was not long when the news filtered out that same vehicle had run into a keke tricycle, close to the popular environmental AL ng the road. He said that, the driver was suspected to be under the influence of drugs in the manner he ran into a moving keke. He said: “Because he was plying one-way on speed before he ran into a stationary vehicle, not knowing that a keke was moving behind it and that led to heavy impact in which the Tiper with load of sand fell on the vehicle behind and mangled the Keke and its occupants.
Checks by The Pinnacle Times revealed that the way the expressway was constructed without a clear demarcation by road median made it possible for vehicles to easily ply the road using one-way traffic.
Some and of the road users who spoke about the use of one-way said that the road construction was not planned in a way that is convenient for vehicles to access Jahi and Kado villages easily, except a motorist drives far down to the roundabout to connect to their destination, whe it would be easier to access using one-way.
A commercial taxi driver along the route stated that this would not be the first time that at least two persons had been hit by vehicles since the construction of the expressway.
He thanked the government for the road which he noted had open the axis up to activities and other developments.
He, like others appealed to the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to prevail on Gilmor construction company to immediately open one or two across that may be easy to use as diversion to connect to Jahi 1 and 2 and ensure another riad median is constructed to clearly demarcate the lanes, in order to forestall future occurrence of raid carnage on the new expressway.
Meanwhile, some concerned residents have urged road users, including Keke Napep operators and motorcycles to observe normal speed and road traffic regulations and signs regularly.
They decried a situation where motorcycles, also known as bikes abuse the expressway by plying one-way most of the time.
they also called for the enforcement of road traffic laws by relevant authorities to mitigate road accident on the expressway.
The Arterial road was open to the public in June to ennhance vehicular traffic circulation from the bounding districts of Mabushi, Katampe, Jahi, and Kado through the sector centers.
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