A woman, Mrs Onome Akporode, has given a graphic description of how her limbs were crushed by a bullion van, a police escort and a tipper lorry on July 13, 2015 at Udu road, Delta State. The mother of four during a cross examination at the High Court of Justice, Udu, on Thursday, disclosed that the policemen escorting the bullion van, who should have stopped to render some help, rather shot sporadically into the air to scare away crowd screaming for help. According to her, this action was inhumane on the part of the policemen because she was still on the ground bleeding profusely with both legs shattered by the reckless tipper lorry, bullion van and police escort. Meanwhile, three persons, who were arrested in connection with the accident, were, on Thursday, docked at the High Court of Justice, Udu.
They were charged with attempted murder in the July 13, 2015 bullion van accident along the dualized Udu road, which led to the crushing of the two legs of the mother-of-four, Mrs Akporode. The trio, Taire Onome Joseph, Edoze Gabriel and Godwin Odobaire, are the drivers of the bullion van, a police escort vehicle and the tipper lorry involved in the accident that crushed the legs of the victim. Head of the police team that escorted the bullion van, Mr Usman Adamu, who was earlier arrested and detained in company of the defendants, gave details of how the incident occurred. He also described how four police patrol vehicles were deployed to the bank to forestall a breakdown of law and order. Mrs Akporode lost her two legs to the reckless driving of a bullion van belonging to a first generation bank, police escort and a tipper lorry by Udu express road.
The victim survived by the whiskers as doctors at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, battle to save her from haemorrhage. Frantic efforts were exerted by the police and owners of the bullion van to bury the attempted murder, but for the vigilance of human rights activists and the vociferous media.
The matter was later adjourned to March 24 for further hearing.