Truck crushes two dons, five others in Benue

Lifeless body found in Makurdi drain

A truck has crushed seven persons to death around Gbatse community in Ushongo Council of Benue State.

The Guardian gathered that the accident, which occurred around 5 p.m. at the weekend, killed two lecturers from the University of Mkar, Gboko, as well as two children and three others.

According to witnesses, the accident occurred when a trailer, whose driver was trying to evade a police check, ran into a stationary Toyota Camry car and crushed the seven occupants.

It took the combined effort of the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other individuals over five hours to evacuate the bodies trapped in the mangled car under the truck.

The Chairman of Ushongo Council, Asawa Joseph, was said to have cut short his engagement in Makurdi, rushed to the scene and directed that bodies of the victims be deposited at Ostra Gum’s hospital at Ushongo.

From documents recovered from the scene, the two lecturers were identified as Mr. Leva Joshua of the Mass Communication Department and Moses Tarnongo.

Also, a Zenith Bank debit card identified another victim as Adaa I. Blessing.

Sector Commander of FRSC in Benue, Aliyu Baba, confirmed that seven people were killed, one injured and four escaped without physical injury.

Baba, however, blamed the accident on over-speeding on the part of the truck driver.

Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom has condoled with the bereaved families, particularly the management, staff, and students of the University of Mkar.

He described the incident as devastating and urged relevant agencies to investigate it.
IN another development, a lifeless body of a lady was found in a drain at Calabar Street, Makurdi, yesterday about 7 a.m.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, who confirmed the incident, said the family of the deceased confirmed the corpse to be that of Angbiandoo Gbavaan, who left the house the previous night.

Anene said the corpse had been deposited at Bishop Murray Morgue for autopsy, while the investigation was on to ascertain the cause of her death.