Chill and wailings as trailer crushed another Okada rider to death in Okene

By Ismail M. Kabir

Exactly two weeks after a family of three was fatally killed by a Dangote trailer upon their return from a Jumuat (Friday prayer) around Idoji area of Okene, another rider was crushed to death Friday 5th October 2014 around noon.

The accident occurred just before the entrance gate of the Okene division of the Nigerian police station in Lafia Okene.

Residents of the area were said to be wailing at the horrible sight of the crash which sent chilling shivers down their spine.

Eye witness accounts held that the unidentified Okada rider was conveying two Fulani passengers, running at full speed within the tight traffic on the Okene township road when he erroneously maneuvered his way into a narrow space between two long vehicles.

The rider was said to have lost control as the motorcycle was hit from both trailer, crushing the rider to death beneath the vehicles with his brain splashed on the road. Miraculously, the two passengers survived with minor injuries.

As sympathizers rushed to the scene of the horrible accident, another okada rider speeding up the Idakoyivo hill of Okene-Ogaminana road was said to have cheated death when he was flung off the highway by a trailer after wrongly overtaking another vehicle.

His motorcycle was flattened by the heavy laden trailer as it descended the hill.

Happening almost on weekly basis, the death toll of Ebira youths lost to fatal accidents within Okene town is on a sharp rise.

This raises concern on the role of the Okada Riders Union towards safeguarding the lives of their members through regular sensitization on speed limits and related safety measures.

However, there is growing concerns from the public on the rising number of under age Okada riders within the community.

The amateur riders often throw caution to the wind in their careless pursuit for quick profit especially during traffic build up when most people resort to motorbike for quicker access to their destinations within the town.