A commercial bus driver is now being sought after he nearly killed a Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO) in Ekiti State.
The victim, Adewale Ojo, was severely hit by the Ilorin-bound 18-seater commercial bus driver on Monday, July 17, 2023.
The incident happened at Ayegbaju-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state.
An eyewitness told journalists that the VIO officer, with the rank of Assistant Inspection Officer (AIO), attached to the Ikole-Ekiti zonal office of the organization, had led other officers to a routine operation in the area, when the incident occurred.
The eyewitness said the victim was standing on the road and waved down the commercial bus which was on a high speed, coming from Ifaki-Ekiti and heading towards Ikole-Ekiti route.
The unidentified driver reportedly refused to stop and hit the officer in the process, injuring him.
He was immediately rushed to the health facility in the community, before he was transferred to Ekiti State Specialist Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.
Narrating his ordeal on the hospital bed, the victim said, “I was with my other colleagues in Ayegbaju-Ekiti, during a routine exercise which we normally carry out every Monday of the week. We were at the damaged portion of the road, when the Kwara bus driver was coming from Ifaki-Ekiti axis.
“Immediately he saw us on the road, he increased his speed and my colleagues who had noticed him fled. But before I could notice he had already hit me. Immediately, I became unconscious and was rushed from the scene to a nearby hospital,” the witness said.
“None of us could pick his number or face, neither could any of my colleagues identify him. I woke up in the hospital with bruises all over my body, I am in pain and very weak. I had no intention to dare him. It happened so suddenly than I could imagine,” he lamented.
The victim and other officers of the organization had sought assistance to enable him get comprehensive treatment as he could barely walk.
