Tipper Driver Flees After Fatal One Way Crash Kills Pedestrian

(Anambra Map. Photo Credit: Sun Nigeria)

A hit-and-run driver of a tipper truck has cr#$hed a male pedestrian to d£ath along the Onitsha-Awka Expressway in Anambra State.

The driver, who was reportedly driving against traffic on a “one-way,” fatally struck the pedestrian and immediately fled the scene with the vehicle.

The Managing Director of the Anambra State Road Traffic Management Agency, Emeka Konti-Okonkwo, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday.

He disclosed that the vehicle was later traced and intercepted at Upper Iweka in Onitsha by operatives of the agency.

According to him, the deceased lost his life due to the driver’s reckless conduct, and the vehicle has since been impounded by the agency, while the case has been transferred to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

He noted that the development highlights the dangers of driving against traffic and underscores the pressing need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws across the state.

He explained that the incident happened on July 25, when the tipper driver, moving against the flow of traffic, allegedly r@n down the deceased.

He lamented that “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.”

He added that the suspect escaped immediately after the incident, but the vehicle was eventually traced and seized at Upper Iweka in Onitsha through the efforts of agency operatives, after which it was impounded and the matter referred to the police.

Konti-Okonkwo described driving against traffic as one of the major causes of avoidable road cr@shes in the state, expressing regret that some motorists particularly drivers of heavy-duty vehicles continue to engage in the practice despite sustained public enlightenment campaigns, repeated warnings, and ongoing enforcement.

He also decried the frequent insults, intimidation, and blackmail his officers face while carrying out their duties, especially when they resist pressure from influential persons seeking leniency for offenders.

He said the latest tragedy has strengthened the agency’s resolve to continue its campaign against driving against traffic until the practice is completely stamped out of roads across the state.

This is coming barely weeks after the Enugu State Police Command, on July 7, confirmed the d£ath of a police inspector, Dr Ikechukwu Obodo, who was k!lled in a similar hit-and-run motor-pedestrian incident within the state.

The deceased was attached to the Operations Department at the State Police Command Headquarters at the time of the incident.