By IJENDU IHEAKA

Abia Government says it will offset the hospital bills of the Aba Billboard accident victims.

Mrs Victoria Onwubiko, Managing Director, Abia State Signage and Advertising Agency (ABSAA) made this known on Thursday in Aba at the Salad Market entrance, the site of the accident.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a big billboard fell on some passengers in five tricycles in Aba on Wednesday, following a boisterous wind, killing one person and injuring seven others.

Onwubiko said the governor had given the necessary approval for procedures regarding the victims? treatment without hindrances.

?So, we are glad there are not going to be any more deaths; from what we have seen, the victims in the hospital are recovering and doing well.

?We understand that about eight persons were involved in the accident; five are at the Abia University Teaching Hospital, two have been discharged and one is died,? she said.

Onwubiko added that the governor had sent his Chief of Staff for the proper management of the victims at ABSUTH, Aba.

According to her, there is no hoping that any one of them will go to the court as the state government is doing everything to take care of them.

She said ABSAA would ensure such accidents did not reoccur noting that henceforth the agency would inspect every advertising site in the state.

?We are going to ask the owners of sites like this to give us the technical drawings with which they built their sites.

?If we don?t see them, the bill board will come down for them to redo it to ensure safety,? she said.

The ABSAA MD pointed out that every site, whether high or low, which is not sound, will go down.

Mr Chinedu Nwibo, an eye-witness and a vulcaniser for tricycle operators, said there were seven persons at the entrance of the Salad Market on that Wednesday when the accident occurred.

?We were inside a little makeshift shop I had set up for my work when the rain started on Wednesday.

?The wind was very boisterous and some of the tricycle operators went into their tricycles to stay for the rain to stop.

?No sooner had they ran into their tricycles than a big iron pipe used to hoist a billboard fell on them.

?One Destiny Uguru, 27, from Izzi in Ebonyi state died from the accident while seven persons sustained injuries,? he said.

Nwibo called on the government to come to the aid of the victims especially by replacing their tricycles.

?The man that lost his life has an expectant wife and two children,? he said. (NAN)

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