Three people, including a lawyer, were reported dead and several others severely injured when a flour-loaded truck, pursued by soldiers, crashed into shops in Utu Etim Ekpo, the headquarters of Etim Ekpo Local Government Area (LGA), Akwa Ibom State.
Residents recounted that the tragedy occurred around 8 p.m. on Monday when a military patrol team began pursuing the truck after its driver failed to stop at a checkpoint near Nkwot Ikot Ebo on the Iwukem-Etim Ekpo-Abak Road.
Eno Umanah, a motorcyclist and eyewitness, described the incident: “The truck, loaded with flour, was coming from the Iwukem direction toward Abak and was flagged down at the soldiers’ checkpoint at Nkwot Ikot Ebo. The driver refused to stop.
“The soldiers overtook the truck, but the driver still wouldn’t stop, speeding towards them. The soldiers scrambled for safety as the truck sped down a slope toward the roundabout. It was impossible to navigate safely at that speed.
“The driver lost control, veering off the road and crashing into a row of makeshift shops by the motor park, killing the unsuspecting victims instantly, including the lawyer, whose name has yet to be released.”
Akaninyene Umanah, another local resident, claimed that over 70 lives, including those of churchgoers returning from a convention and travelers, have been lost on that road. Many residents attribute these frequent fatalities to the poorly constructed roundabout in the area.
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