A yet-to-be-identified truck driver is now in police custody for allegedly crushing an Abia State Polytechnic, Aba graduate, Miss Mary Ogechi, to death at the Aba-Owerri Road on Tuesday.

Our correspondent gathered that the deceased graduated from the polytechnic a few days and celebrated her graduation on social media for emerging the best accounting student in her department. She was said to have gone to her school on Tuesday to process her results so as to get ready for the National Youth Service Corps mobilisation when the accident occurred.

PUNCH Metro learnt that, in response to the new graduate’s passing, students of the school staged a protest and blocked the expressway.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said the deceased suffered fractured legs and a dislocated hip after being pushed down by a commercial tricycle rider and was subsequently run over by a trailer with registration number XA-60 YEN.

“She was crossing the road when a reckless commercial tricycle driver hit her, which made her fall on the road. The truck driver who saw her suddenly tried to avoid her but couldn’t, instead rammed over her leg, leaving her in a pool of blood. The tricycle rider ran away, together with the truck driver who abandoned his vehicle to run into a nearby police station in the Aba North Local Government Area.

“People were scared of taking her away immediately. But a few others summoned the courage and rushed to the scene. They initially thought that she was dead, but when they felt some pulse, people who recognised her rushed her to the hospital for urgent medical attention. She later gave up the ghost.”

One of the deceased’s family members, Nelly Nazo, who mourned her passing in a Facebook post, claimed that the mother raised the deceased and her siblings alone and that it was a tragic event that she died in an accident.

She wrote, “Miss Ezekiel Mary Ogechi, it is unfortunate that your life was cut short by the terrible accident you had yesterday. I have not been myself since I got to know from your mum that it was you who was lying helpless in front of Abia poly yesterday. I pray that God will give your mum all that she will need,” she added.

Another relative, Vivian Onwumere, expressed her grief in a Facebook post, stating that the deceased was of high character adding that her death had left her devastated.

She wrote, “The news of the Abia poly accident got me speechless, not knowing it was my daughter. My tall glass is pretty, intelligent yet respectful, humble, and obedient. Seeing the video alone left me completely shattered. I am mute and reminiscing on all you told me years ago at the MIIT about what you would do when you got admission and after graduation. I kept asking and wondering why it must end this way after all the struggles, pains, and dedication. God knows better, keep resting, my beloved.”

Reacting to the tragedy, some Abia poly students protested their grievances, claiming they had informed the government to build a bump on the road as a safety measure against reckless drivers who had repeatedly run over staff and students at the school.

The students also threatened to set the trailer ablaze but a Rapid Response Squad intervened to calm the violence.

Some of the placards carried by the protesting students read, ‘No more trailers for daytime, ‘Abia students are not happy.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chinaka Maureen, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, adding that the situation had been calmed down. She also explained that the car and its driver had been taken into custody.

She said, “The driver is in our custody and the vehicle has been recovered. We calmed the area, and an investigation is in progress. Although we are still in the preliminary stage of the investigation, as time goes on, we will communicate further developments on the story.”

PUNCH Metro had reported that a 69-year-old commercial bus driver, Waidi Saheed, was in police custody for allegedly crushing a 10-year-old, simply identified as Chukwudi, to death at the Iganmu-Mile 2 Expressway in Lagos State. (The PUNCH)

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