TRAGIC: MANY FEARED DEAD AS ANAMBRA ANTI -TOUT SQUAD VEHICLE COLLIDES WITH TIPPER

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In Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, at least six members of the Special Anti-Touting Squad of Anambra State (SASA), also referred to as Ndi Aka Odo, were killed Friday when their vehicle struck a dump truck that was completely loaded with sand.

When the anti-tout squad’s car collided with the tipper on the Onitsha-Owerri motorway, six officers were killed instantly, and others were injured to differing degrees.

During their regular stop-and-search operation, the squad’s vehicle, a branded Toyota Hiace bus, was speeding out of a junction when the incident happened, according to witnesses. The tipper was exiting another intersection on the road when the bus struck it.

One eyewitness, Peter Eze, recalled that the Toyota vehicle was carrying about eight young men at the time of the accident. “The vehicle was running at full speed before it rammed into the tipper,” he said. “Some operatives died instantly, while others were badly injured.”

Some of the operators were trapped within their truck by the impact of the collision, and onlookers had to remove their remains from the debris. While the injured were taken to local hospitals for treatment, more than six dead bodies were discovered on the road.

Instead of generating sympathy, the incident caused some members of the public who are dissatisfied with the anti-tout squad’s actions to celebrate. The squad’s recent unlawful actions and the heartless actions of certain agents have drawn considerable criticism and have fuelled escalating ire.

A video that has gone viral on social media depicts the accident’s aftermath, with dead bodies on the road and onlookers either supporting rescue operations or denouncing the victims’ and their squad’s behaviour.

When contacted for comment, a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) official from Anambra State said he was driving and could not make a statement. The FRSC Public Relations Officer, Margaret Onabe, also said she was reaching out to personnel in the area to confirm details of the incident.

The State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached for comment at the time of this report.