…From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan...
The driver of a haulage vehicle who crushed a soldier to death at Eleyele area of Ibadan on Wednesday has been arraigned before an Ibadan Chief Magistrate Court, charge with murder.
The accident reportedly occurred at about 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Polo Club junction, Eleyele, Ibadan when the ill-fated trailer, loaded with several bags of cement suddenly had faulty brake system and crushed to death the deceased soldier, who was on a motorcycle and in the process of crossing the road to his nearby Mokola Barracks. The name of the deceased soldier could not be ascertained as at the time of filing in this report.
However, the trailer driver was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court 1, Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Thursday morning.
But the Chief Magistrate, Alhaja F. A. Badrudeen, granted the accused person bail with the sum of N100,000 and two sureties in the same sum before adjourning further hearing in the matter till March 12 .
Conflicting reports claimed that the number of casualties was even more as some people claimed that the soldiers were two in number, while another source insisted that only one soldier died in the accident.
Meanwhile, the truck was said to have been moved to the Mokola Military Barracks.
It was reliably gathered that on several occasion, similar accidents involving trucks loaded with bags of cement had claimed lives in the area.
Specifically, about five persons were said to have been involved in one of such incidents including an ex-student of the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, who died on the spot.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the State Command, DSP Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, when contacted, confirmed that the accident actually occurred, but said she was yet to ascertain the number of casualt