BY PETER OKUTU, Abakaliki
A three month old nursing mother (name withheld) was weekend, killed by a lorry along Owne road in Abakaliki metropolis of Ebonyi state.

The lorry with registration number: XA 724 – ZLL suspected to be owned by Ebonyi State Environmental Protection Agency, EBSEPA carried out the dastardly act after loading wastes from some sites located along Abakaliki/Enugu expressway before the incident occurred.

Vanguard learnt that the lorry on getting to the junction leading to Virgin land Hotel and St. Mulumba Church knocked down the woman whose name was not immediately ascertained but resides at Hausa Quarters, Azuiyiokwu. Meanwhile the driver on realizing the gravity of his crime took to his heels so as to avoid being lynched by irate youths in the area or arrested by the police.

At the scene of the incident, large crowd gathered, expressing

sympathy over the death of the woman who according to sources was preparing for her child’s dedication before the incident occurred.

Accordingly, the driver of the lorry was no where to be found as men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Civil Service Defense Corps, NCSDC, and State Security Service, SSS had arrived the scene some minutes later.

Meanwhile efforts, to speak with the Federal Road Safety men and Police on the accident proved abortive as they refused to grant audience to our reporter but an eyewitness, an Okada rider, who gave his name as Mr. Elom Moses attributed the cause of the incident to recklessness and over speeding on the part of the driver. Elom said, “The driver was having a warp of Indian helm in his hand while driving. He was on a very high speed to the extend that we Okada riders were even giving way for him to pass but he refused to slow down even when he was entering this junction”

“Before we could know it, he has knocked down an innocent woman who was driving her motorcycle by the road side. When he saw what happened, he came down from the vehicle and ran away. What a wicked man”

Meanwhile, the corpse of the woman was taken to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abakaliki by men of the FRSC and because of the severity of the accident; shovel, thick water proof bag and other items were used to gather the remains of the woman.