One dies, seven injured as truck rams into Osun APC campaign procession

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One person, identified as AbdulRasaq Ahmed, was confirmed dead while seven others sustained injuries after a truck rammed into a street campaign procession organised by the All Progressives Congress in support of its governorship candidate for the August 15 Osun governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, in Ede on Wednesday.

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The accident reportedly occurred as participants in the mobilisation exercise approached the Oke Gada area of Ede.

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The Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji Campaign Committee, Remi Omowaiye, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Online, saying the injured victims were receiving treatment at private hospitals in Ofatedo and Ede.

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“One person was killed in the accident. Seven others were injured, but one out of the seven was critically injured,” Omowaiye said.

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An eyewitness, who declined to be named, called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, alleging that the truck driver ignored traffic directives issued by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps deployed to manage traffic during the rally.

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“It was a sad incident and one which could have been avoided. The coordinator of the Federal Road Safety Corps had earlier directed that vehicles should use one lane of the road while APC members used the other lane.

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“However, the truck driver drove through the lane we were walking on and rammed into the crowd. The boy was killed in the process, while many got injured and are receiving treatment at the hospital,” he said.

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Speaking after a condolence visit to the family of the deceased, the running mate to the APC governorship candidate, Benjamin Adereti, also called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

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“We are still trying to unravel the reason behind this. The way the incident happened looked like the truck deliberately rammed into our party members in Ede while campaigning.

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“I want to call on the security agencies in Osun and Nigeria to carry out a thorough investigation into the immediate and remote causes of this incident. If this is a deliberate action by Ademola Adeleke and the Accord Party to stop us from forging ahead with our campaign, I can assure them we are unstoppable.

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“I commiserate with the family of AbdulRasaq Ahmed over this unfortunate incident. May God console the family. We all know the pain of losing a child,” Adereti said.

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