Protest erupts in Ekiti community over fatal crash, bad road
By Boye Oyeyemi
Residents of Bamgboye community in Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday barricaded the Ikere-Ekiti-Ado-Ekiti road to protest the deteriorating condition of the highway and the frequent fatal accidents recorded along the route.
The protest followed a crash on Thursday that reportedly killed a woman and left another person seriously injured and hospitalised, heightening concerns among residents over the safety of motorists and commuters using the road.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred after a member of a commercial motorcycle riders’ union allegedly stopped the motorcycle conveying the victims and attempted to compel the rider to purchase an operational ticket.
The witnesses claimed that a confrontation ensued, causing the motorcyclist to lose control before a truck collided with the motorcycle, killing the woman instantly and leaving the other victim injured, while the alleged union member reportedly fled the scene.
Angered by the incident, the residents placed wood and other materials across the highway, disrupting traffic and leaving motorists, including heavy-duty truck drivers, stranded for several hours.
The community chairman, Fatai Akinola, described the affected section of the highway as a “death trap” and called on the government to urgently rehabilitate the road, adding that the death was particularly painful because the deceased’s husband was a stakeholder in the community.
Meanwhile, police officers arrived at the scene and cleared the barricade to restore vehicular movement, while the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, CP Michael Falade, visited the area to calm the protesters and assess the situation.
Falade later visited the deceased’s family and assured them that their concerns would be communicated to the appropriate authorities, as the residents demanded urgent road repairs, tighter regulation of commercial motorcycle unions and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.
