By John Ugo , Awka
There were concerns in Anambra State as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Uche Okafor and a former Managing Director of Anambra Advertising and Signage Agency, Chief Jude Emecheta, escaped death by whiskers in a ghastly road accident.
The incident occured on Saturday night at Agu-Awka/Immigration junction along the Enigu-Awka-Onitsha expressway in Awka the state capital.
The speaker’s vehicle and another belonging to the former Managing Director of Anambra’ state Advertising and Signage Agency were badly damaged.
It was gathered that the latest crash involving the speaker brought to two the number of accidents that took place at that junction same day along the Enugu-Awka-Onitsha expressway.
Besides, a former Managing Director of Anambra Advertising and Signage Agency, Chief Jude Emecheta, had an accident at the same dangerous junction.
Emecheta was unconscious and was rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent attention while his car was badly damaged.
It was learnt that the Speaker escaped the road accident shortly after he received a distress call while at home from Emecheta’s friend and he rushed to the accident scene and took him (Emecheta) to the hospital.
It was also gathered that while the speaker, was at the scene of the accident and trying to pick important documents and other personal belongings of Chief Emecheta in his car, a trailer rammed into the already accidented car.
According to source, “It was while they were on this that another trailer lost control of its breaks and hit the already damaged Emecheta’s car that the Speaker had gone into and the speaker’s own parked vehicle, with the speaker escaping just by chance” .
The Speaker and his aides were said to have sustained no injuries from the accident.
When the Speaker was contacted on Monday, he confirmed the incident.
He expressed gratitude to God for sparing the lives of those involved in the accident which he said would have been a very terrible experience.
He said, “None of us was hurt, it would have been disastrous, but we thank God”.
He also disclosed that Chief Jude Emecheta was responding to treatment.
“Jude was unconscious when I got to the accident scene. So, we took him to the hospital in my vehicle and he was responding to treatment before we left the hospital.”..
“On our way back, I decided to stop and pick some of his belongings from his damaged vehicle. I was inside the vehicle and suddenly, my aides were shouting “come out”; it was a bit confusing and chaotic and within a few seconds that I was out of the vehicle, a trailer ran over the already damaged Emecheta’s vehicle and also mine that was parked,” he added.
Also, Emecheta confirmed the development to journalists.
He said he had an accident and was responding to treatment.
He also confirmed that the speaker had an accident while trying to collect some of his documents in his car.
“I thanked God for my survival and the speaker. The speaker has no injury and none of his aides has any,” he said .
Recall that accident at Agu-Awka/immigration junction in Awka, has become a daily occurrence.
Several articulated vehicles and others have been involved in deadly crashes along the route just few poles to the state government house.
On Tuesday last week a middle-aged man was crushed to death by an articulated truck at the junction.
The deceased was said to be crossing the road around 8.50am when the truck driver lost control and knocked him down, leaving him dead on the spot.
