A 34-year-old mother of five in Akwa Ibom State whose husband was allegedly killed by the vehicle of Compliance and Monitoring team of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Transport and Petroleum may go mental over the difficulties of bringing up her family alone.
Ekaette Akaninyene, the pregnant wife of slain tricycle driver, Akaninyene Nnonno, Tuesday, accused the monitoring team for being responsible for the untimely death of her husband in Uyo lamenting that the incident had truncated the future they planned for their children and left her stranded.
“I don’t know how to start or continue my life from here; we were struggling together to care for his children, now look at my condition, look at the hardship their reckless attitude is putting me and my children through,” she bemoaned.
She said her husband, an indigene of Ikot Edung in Ibiono Ibom local government area of the state, was knocked down by some ticket sellers chasing an Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus driver.
“Shortly after dropping off my daughter and some goods, I called my husband what to bring to me in the market, but my husband’s friend came and informed me that my husband had an accident.
“We were initially informed he was taken to TOAN office. When we got there, I was handed his torn shirt and wallet, but he was not there.
“We were later directed to the Police Station, Itam, and when we got there, we were told that he had been taken to the hospital, and that we should wait for the DPO.
“We waited till the man finally arrived hours later. He informed me that my husband was dead. I have not been allowed to see his corpse, but they told me that he was hit on the chest and forehead and that he was taken to one mortuary along Atiku Abubakar Way.
Narrating how the man died, Effiong Effiong, the state chairman of Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN), said he died along Urua Ekpa road while bending by the side of the road to fix a fault in his Keke (tricycle).
He said the Compliance and Monitoring Task Team was chasing an AKTC driver who was trying to flee after knocking down the tricycle rider by the side of the road.
Effiong said the association was liaising with the Ministry of Transport and Petroleum to get assistance to the bereaved family, and promised to ensure that the pregnant widow is well catered for.
He, however, confirmed that the police had arrested the bus driver.
Akwa Ibom state’s commissioner for Transport and Petroleum, Orman Esin, described the incident as an accident.
Esin said, “What happened was an accident involving a driver, members of our team and the victim. We have met with the bereaved family and we have discussed on how to assist them and everyone is satisfied and happy.”
When our reporter contacted, DSP MacDon Odiko, the state police spokesman, he promised to confirm any arrest in connection with the case, but was yet to do so as at the time of filing this report.
