By Patrick Ahanor
Benin City
Two officials of Edo State Transport Management Agency (EDSTMA) are currently cooling their feet at Textile Mill Division of the state police command for allegedly causing the death of a Benin-based transport manager, Godfrey Imobhio.
Owner of the transport company, Mr Donald Omorogbe, said the truck was conveying some goods to his warehouse when it developed a fault at the Five Junction area of Benin City.
Omorogbe said: “Seeing that the truck was obstructing traffic at the spot where it broke down, Godfrey and some others invited traffic police and officials of EDSTMA to help control traffic while they offload the goods into another truck.
“Workers had finished offloading the goods to another truck in the presence of the Divisional Traffic Officer (DTO) of the Textile Mills Police Station when the head of the EDSTMA at the Okhoro area of Benin, Mr Nosa Aideyan, arrived at the scene with a towing van.”
Omorogbe said while the police DTO, a woman, informed Aideyan that the situation was under control the EDSTMA official in defiant ordered one of his subordinates to reverse the towing vehicle they brought and towed the truck.
He added that the towing vehicle hit the late Godfrey who was later confirmed dead by doctors at the University Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
When contacted, the Edo state Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, confirmed the incident, saying that the police had arrested the EDSTMA officials.