HIT-AND-RUN TIPPER DRIVER KILLS PEDESTRIAN IN ANAMBRA, VEHICLE TRACKED, IMPOUNDED
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A male pedestrian has been killed in a hit-and-run accident along the Onitsha-Awka Expressway after a tipper driver, allegedly driving against traffic, knocked him down and fled the scene.
The Managing Director of the Anambra State Road Traffic Management Agency, Emeka Konti-Okonkwo, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Thursday, disclosing that the fleeing vehicle was later tracked and intercepted by agency operatives at Upper Iweka in Onitsha.
According to Konti-Okonkwo, the accident occurred on July 25 when the driver of the tipper, while driving in the wrong direction, fatally struck the pedestrian before escaping.
“The incident, coming a few days after the agency launched the ‘See It, Video It and Earn’ initiative, occurred on July 25 when the driver of a tipper, while driving against traffic, allegedly knocked down the deceased.
“A father, a brother and a promising young man, lost his life because a motorist chose to violate traffic regulations instead of driving a short distance to make a lawful turn.
“The suspect fled the scene immediately after the incident, but the vehicle was eventually tracked and intercepted at Upper Iweka in Onitsha by operatives of the agency.
“The vehicle was impounded by the agency while the matter had been handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.
Konti-Okonkwo described the incident as another tragic consequence of one-way driving, stressing the need for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations across the state.
He identified driving against traffic as one of the leading causes of avoidable road crashes in Anambra, lamenting that some motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, continue to flout traffic laws despite sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement efforts.
The ARTMA boss also decried the intimidation, insults and blackmail often directed at traffic enforcement officers, especially when they refuse to bow to pressure from influential individuals seeking leniency for traffic offenders.
He said the latest incident had further strengthened the agency’s resolve to intensify its campaign against one-way driving until the dangerous practice is eradicated from roads across the state.
The impounded vehicle has since been handed over to the police, who have commenced further investigation with a view to prosecuting the driver.
The incident comes weeks after the Enugu State Police Command confirmed the death of Police Inspector Dr Ikechukwu Obodo, who was killed in a separate hit-and-run motor-pedestrian accident within the state.
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