A truck on Tuesday crushed to death a graduate of the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, who was awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme.
Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the graduate, identified as Ogechi Mary Ezekiel, was crossing the Aba-Owerri road at the gate of the polytechnic when she was hit by a speeding tricycle, which threw her in the lane of the truck.
The truck with number plate XA 60 YEN was heading towards the Bata-Ikot Ekpene road area when the incident occurred, leaving the girl in a pool of blood.
Police sources stated that the driver of the truck had been arrested, while the tricycle rider fled as soon as he hit the victim.
The situation caused heavy traffic in the area as students of the polytechnic took to the road.
The students also made several attempts to destroy the truck but were stopped by policemen. However, they succeeded in deflating the tyres of the truck as news filtered in about the death of the victim.
“The girl came out of the polytechnic and was crossing over to the other lane of the road when the tricycle knocked into the path of the truck. She didn’t see the tricycle coming because it overtook the truck from the back side. I heard the girl has graduated but awaiting mobilisation for NYSC,” a shop owner opposite the polytechnic told Vanguard.
As of the time of filing this report, the students were still protesting the incident as some of them converged around the truck.
Several police patrol teams and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have been deployed to the area, even as both lanes of the road have been cordoned off, leaving motorists travelling out of the city to make use of the Okigwe and Osusu roads.
