Only 12 dead bodies out of the 33 passengers whose bus plunged into the river at J4 – Ogbere axis of Ogun State last Friday have been recovered. This followed the rescue operation carried out at the scene of the accident by a combined team of security operatives and the state health workers yesterday.
Sunday Mirror gathered that it took the collaborative efforts of the police, state Traffic Compliant Agency (TRACE), officials from the state Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as well as that of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the Red Cross Society before the 12 dead bodies could be recovered in the nine-hour operation.
Bodies of 11 women and that of the driver were recovered from the Federal Urban Mass Scheme Hyundai bus with Abuja registration number BWR 428 XA. The victims, mostly women who are 21 in number, were travelling for a burial at Uronigbe in Oriohwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
Speaking after the recovery operation, the Ijebu- Ode unit commander of FRSC, Mr Issa Seidu, who confirmed the 12 bodies recovered, said three people were rescued on Friday night and were rushed to a private hospital in Ore.
The fully-loaded 36-seater luxurious Hyundai bus with registration number (Abuja) BWR 428 XA had skidded off the dual carriage bridge and plunged into a river at the J4, Ogbere- Ijebu stretch of the Sagamu-Ore expressway in the Ijebu East local Government Area of Ogun State on Friday.
Occupants of the bus, which was said to be travelling to Benin in Edo State from Lagos for a burial ceremony, immediately got drowned and were swept away from the point where the bus had entered into the water, with 33 out of the 36 passengers on board getting killed.
Three of the 36 passengers that included a pregnant woman survived the accident with most of the victims said to be women.
Speaking on the efforts at recovering the bodies of the victims yesterday, the TRACE Corps Commander, Ayo Sangofadeji, told Sunday Mirror that state officials, including the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Tunde Olowonyo, and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Health, Dr. Rotimi Ogungbe, were all on ground to ensure that bodies of the victims were recovered.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Lokoja, if only, 13-year old Yetunde, Racheal Samuel had known what fate had in store for her on 5TH October, she would have changed her mind about staying home and followed her family to the wedding of the day. But life played a fast one on her and kept her in the dark about the evil that lurked at the corner. She had no premonition whatsoever, that on that particular day, she would bid the world goodbye in a gruesome manner.
On that day, the serene town of Isanlu, headquarters of Yagba – East Local Government of Kogi State was thrown into tumoil following the gruesome murder of Yetunde, whose body was deposited inside a medium size freezer after being strangled to death by yet to be identified killers.
Yetunde Rachael Samuel, a JSS 2 student of Oluyori Comprehensive College, Isanlu was killed in the night of October 5th and neatly deposited inside a medium size freezer to create impression that she fell into the freezer and was subsequently jamlocked and frozen to death without any body knowing; which shows that her death was pre-planned and carried out with an ulterior motive.
What has remained a mystery is who actually murdered her and for what. Aside that, the question on the lips of people is why was she the only one left in the house that particular day and why she was hurriedly buried in the cover of the night? Why did the parents or the guardians fail to report her mysterious death to the police before she was committed to mother earth? Only the police or perhaps, the late Yetunde herself could actually reveal who killed her and how she died.
The perpetrators of the henious crime would have gotten away with it if the police had not gotten wind of it. Maybe Yetunde’s blood is seeking for justice as no one knows how the Police heard about it.
The state commissioner of Police, Alh Mohammed Musa Katsina who got wind of the dastardly act, suspected foul play, arrested the guardians of the girl and ordered that the corpse be exhumed for a thorough autopsy to confirm whether the girl actually jumped inside the freezer and got frozen or she was killed.
It was a hectic time for our correspondent and detectives led by the deputy commissioner of police, Alh Zannah Mohammed who travelled to the community with a pathologist from Federal Medical Centre to exhume the decompsing corpse for autopsy.
The guardian of the girl who is at the centre of the mysterious death, Mrs Deborah Motunrayo Jaiyeoba claimed that she left the girl who was the daughter of her younger sister at home that Saturday morning for a marriage ceremony along with all her children.
According to her, when she got back from the wedding ceremony and did not see Yetunde, she thought she had gone to play. She said she was thirsty and raced to the deep freezer to get a satchet of water to quench her thirst when she suddenly discovered that Yetunde was stone dead in the freezer and she immediately raised alarm.
Mrs jaiyeoba, a sanitary inspector at the local government claimed Yetunde wanted to clean the deep freezer in her small retail shop when she fell into the deep freezer and must have frozen to death.
Saturday Vanguard also gathered that the father of the desceased was said to have felt indiferrent about the death of her daughter as he hurriedly consented that she should be buried immediately.
Saturday Vanguard’s investigation revealed that Yetunde’s mother was impregnated at the age of 17 while she was still in secondary school; and after delivery, decided to drop Yetunde at the age of two with her sister and headed to Ilorin for greener pasture where she later got married. However, the autopsy carried out revealed that the late girl was actually killed; maybe, for rituals.
Preliminary doctor’s report confirmed that the girl died as result of neorogenic shock secondary to multiple skeletal injuries most likely sustained from blunt force trauma.
The doctor’s report also said two of the girl’s teeth were removed with some vital parts while the entire head region was battered with blunt instrument.
Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, the State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Kastina said the whole episode was a case of culpable homicide. He said the innocent girl was brutally murdered but expressed shock that the biological father of the girl did not show concern but instead, he brought a letter to his office along with somebody who claimed to be a judicial officer that the case be withdrawn.
The CP said when he interrogated the father, he could not even read nor comprehend the contents of the letter which gave suspicion that some people were behind the murder. He therefore called on members of the public to be more vigilant with their children and to know who they give their children to for upkeeping but vowed to pursue the case to a logical conclusion.
If truly Yetunde’s guardian was behind the gruesome murder, why and what could be the reason behind it after sucessefully nuturing her for the past 13 years? What does she stand to gain? All these questions seem unanswarable as the peoples wait patiently for the police to unravel the case and make their submission known on time.
Those arrested along with the 43 year- old Mrs Jaiyeoba Deborah who was the guardian are three of her children namely: Jaiyeoba Titilayo, 20 years old; Tunmininu Jaiyeoba 23 years old and Jaiyeoba Femi 18 years old. Others are Shade Jimoh, Chief J I Owolabi, Raphael Owolabi, Raphael Abiodun and Tolulope Sunday.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Federal Ministry of Environment on Saturday in Abuja announced a prediction of heavy rainfall which could cause flooding between now and October 27 in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The ministry’s Deputy Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management, Dr. Morohunkeji Oyeleke, made the announcement in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The ministry identified the states as Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Borno, Oyo, Niger, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Lagos, Osun, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Adamawa, Gombe, Imo, Ogun and Kebbi.
It also identified in specific terms some areas that could be affected as Sakaba in Kebbi State; Sagamu in Ogun State; Okigwe in Imo State; and Nafada in Gombe State.
Other areas are Kari and Kirfi in Bauchi State, Makira in Sokoto State; Shelleng and Shendam in Plateau State; and Mubi and Numan in Adamawa State.
The ministry also listed Donga, Lau and Mutum-Biyu in Taraba State; Etiosa, Lekki and Surulere in Lagos State; and Igbo-Ora in Osun State.
It further listed Briyel in Bukuru, Plateau State; Otukpo in Benue State; Calabar in Cross River State; Eket, Etinan, Ikot-Nakada, Itu and Oron areas of Akwa Ibom State.
The flood-prone areas include Abaji, Kwali, Bwari, Mabushi, Kukwaba, Guzape, Karu, Kuje, Kurudu and Lugbe in the FCT.
The ministry also said areas which could be affected by the downpour-induced flood included Apata, Bodija, Challenge, Eleyele, Moniya, Aiyete, Eruwa, Iseyin, Kisi and Ogbomoso in Oyo State.
It also listed Bida, Katcha, Kontagora, Mashegu and Sarki Pawa, all in Niger State; Birnin Gwari in Kaduna as well as Jemaa, Kachia in Kaduna State; and Bode Saadu, Ilorin, Kosubosu and Lafiaji in Kwara State.
The ministry appealed to the governments in the identified states to take all necessary precautionary measures to avoid any untold hardship.
It added that adherence to similar warnings in the past had saved many lives and property.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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