Four persons were on Saturday reportedly killed and a traditional ruler hospitalized in an auto crash which involved the convoy of the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Ali Olanusi at Aponmu-Owena along Ondo road in Akure, the State Capital.
Olanusi escaped unhurt, while a teenager who was in the same car with the monarch, Osunmakinde of Ife Tuntun, Osun State, Oba Obawure Taofeek Olaposi, sustained injuries.
The four dead persons are said to be occupants of a vehicle belonging to a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Akure which the Camry allegedly rammed into before hitting the Deputy Governor’s convoy.
There were conflicting eye witness accounts about how the incident occurred.
While an eyewitness blamed incident on Oba Olaposi’s driver, who he said has been overtaking vehicles, while in the process used his white Toyota Camry to hit the Deputy Governor’s convoy and other oncoming vehicles, another source said the monarch, who was said to be travelling from Ife to Akure was caught in the over speeding convoy of the deputy governor, who was rushing to Ondo town to attend a ceremony.
The accident was said to have occurred as a result of reckless driving on the part of the convoy.
The monarch and a teenager among the occupants of his vehicle were said to be responding to treatment at a Specialist hospital in Akure following injuries sustained in the incident, while the corpse of the victims had been deposited at the hospital mortuary.
Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Daisi Ajayi said the Deputy Governor was on his way to Ondo on official assignment when the incident occurred.
He said one of the Security cars in the convoy and the Deputy Governor’s spare care were badly damaged as a result of the incident.
However, Olanusi has returned to the State Government where he now been attended to by medical experts