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A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, Oluwatosin Abidakun, has been crushed to death by an articulated truck in Ibadan, Oyo State, while another corps member sustained injuries in the fatal road crash.
The incident occurred on Monday around Agodi Gardens in Ibadan North Local Government Area when the truck reportedly rammed into a motorcycle conveying the two corps members as they returned home after the day’s work.
Abidakun had recently resumed her primary assignment at the Oyo State House of Assembly alongside the other corps member involved in the crash. Her death came shortly after she began her national service, cutting short her aspirations and plans for the future.
The second corps member survived the crash but sustained injuries and was taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, for medical attention. The Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that Abidakun died in the incident and that the injured victim was evacuated for treatment.
Truck allegedly involved in earlier collisions
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the articulated truck had allegedly been involved in multiple collisions around the Sango area of Ibadan before proceeding towards Agodi Gardens, where it struck the motorcycle carrying the corps members.
One of the eyewitnesses said the truck had reportedly hit several vehicles around Sango before heading towards Agodi, where the incident resulted in Abidakun’s death.
Another eyewitness alleged that the driver was attempting to escape after the earlier collisions, adding that some of the affected motorists were pursuing the truck before it reached the Agodi Gardens area.
The circumstances surrounding the earlier collisions and the alleged attempt by the driver to flee were reported by eyewitnesses. The claims had not been independently established in the account of the incident.
FRSC confirms death, evacuates victims
The state sector commandant of the FRSC, Kehinde Dahunsi, confirmed the crash when contacted by journalists in Ibadan.
Dahunsi said one female corps member had died in the incident, while the other person on the motorcycle sustained a leg injury.
He explained that FRSC personnel evacuated the victims, adding that Abidakun’s body was taken to the Adeoyo Hospital morgue, while the injured corps member was transported to the University College Hospital for treatment.
On reports that the truck had earlier crushed vehicles around Sango, the commandant said the information reaching the corps suggested that the drivers of the affected vehicles had pursued the truck before the fatal crash occurred.
Oyo Assembly speaker mourns deceased
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, has expressed deep sorrow over Abidakun’s death, describing the incident as a painful and devastating loss.
In a statement issued in Ibadan on Tuesday, Ogundoyin said the death was particularly heartbreaking because the deceased had only recently commenced her national service with hopes and aspirations for the future.
He said Abidakun’s death was a loss not only to her family and friends but also to the state House of Assembly, where she had recently begun her service year.
The Speaker extended his condolences to the bereaved family, friends, colleagues and fellow corps members, praying that God would give them the strength to bear the loss. He also expressed concern over the condition of the surviving corps member and prayed for a speedy and complete recovery.
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