FRSC Report Indicts Kogi Governor's Convoy For Prof Iyayi's Death

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has blamed the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, and the construction firms handling the Abuja-Lokoja road for the accident that killed  President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Festus Iyayi.

Iyayi died in a car crash last November while travelling to Kano for an emergency meeting called by the union over a nationwide strike by university lecturers.

Following the public outrage that greeted the incident, the FRSC had  ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident.

But when the commission refused to make public its findings, the law firm of a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), which said it was acting on the instruction of its client, ASUU, requested for a certified true copy of the report, sequel to provisions of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

The letter from the law chamber, dated February 12, 2014, and signed by Mr. Samuel Ogala, had asked the FRSC to give it a certified true copy of the report of its findings within seven days of the receipt of the correspondence.

The FRSC in a reply by the Corps Legal Adviser, Mr. Wole Olaniran, an Assistant Corps Marshal, had obliged the request in which it attached a certified true copy of its report to the correspondence.

The commission in its five-page findings, a copy of which was made available  yesterday, said the accident was caused by the failure of the driver of a black Toyota Hilux pick-up van in the governor’s convoy, carrying seven policemen, to move to his lane of travel despite the fact that the road had been confined to a two-lane roadway following the protracted construction work on the road.

According to the FRSC findings, Danladi Baba, the driver of the Toyota Hilux pickup, travelling “on a high but determined speed, southbound of the road, deliberately failed to return to and stick to his lane of travel.
“Contributing to the injury severity was speed; the direction of the impact and one of Vehicle number 1 (Toyota Hiace Bus) body reinforcement material which pierced through the heart area of the fatally injured (Iyayi).”

The investigation also blamed the construction companies building the Abuja-Lokoja Road for failing to provide adequate guidance and channelisation.

The commission advised that governors’ convoy “maintain adequate lane discipline and desist from running other vehicles off-road.” It also instructed politicians to regulate speed limits for convoy drivers, saying politicians should liaise with the FRSC for proper orientation and enlightenment of drivers.

The FRSC also advised government and construction companies to accelerate the completion of the Abuja-Lokoja Road to avoid more deadly accidents on the road.