A tipper truck driver reportedly crashed near Gosa village along the Airport Road, Abuja, while attempting to evade arrest by Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel.
A witness, Benjamin Moses, said the incident happened on Monday around 2:12 pm.
The tipper, which was conveying laterite, was driving against traffic (one-way) near the entrance of Fourth Royal Estate, close to Gosa Market.
Moses explained that FRSC personnel in a Hilux patrol van attempted to stop and arrest the driver for the traffic offence. ”Upon noticing the FRSC officers pursuing him, the tipper driver allegedly increased his speed and suddenly rammed into a pothole, causing the vehicle to overturn in the middle of the road,” the witness narrated.
According to Moses, the driver and his assistant narrowly escaped unhurt and immediately fled the scene, abandoning the overturned tipper.
Our reporter, who stopped at the scene, observed another truck attempting to lift the fallen tipper with the help of some motorists.
An FRSC official, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the incident and blamed the driver for driving against traffic.
He reiterated that the driver increased his speed upon seeing the patrol van, which led to the crash.
‘Actually, the tipper driver was plying through one-way, which he knows is a traffic offence,’ the official said. ‘Out of fear upon sighting the FRSC coming, he now accelerated further which led to the driver to run into a big pothole.’
The official confirmed that there were no casualties in the incident, adding that the truck, which had caused an obstruction, was later towed from the road.