The Nigerian Army has reacted to a report that its checkpoint caused a fatal road accident in Enugu State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that many passengers were feared dead in the road accident, which occurred at around 6:40 pm on Tuesday along Ninth Mile-Ugwu Onyeama Road in the state.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Enugu State, Adeyemi Sokunbi, told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that two male passengers were killed in the accident while 10 others, eight men and two women, were injured.
But FRSC spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, in a statement later on Wednesday in Abuja, said four passengers were later confirmed dead in the accident, while 25 others were rescued.
Seven vehicles were involved in the traffic accident and a report suggested that an army checkpoint along the area was responsible for the accident.
The army reacts
But the spokesman for the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Jonah Unuakhalu, reacted in a statement on Thursday and denied the information.
Mr Unuakhalu, Lieutenant Colonel, said the Nigerian Army does not have any checkpoint at the accident site except a roadside location/base, which was erected to curb frequent kidnapping attacks in the area.
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The spokesperson recalled that the road was inaugurated in the first quarter of 2024 after being rehabilitated in December of last year.
“Since then, the troops have only one base and the barriers used for the checkpoint were removed,” he said.
He argued that the stretch of road had remained “problematic” since the 1990s due to the “steep gradient of the road”, even before and after army checkpoints were removed.
“The accident that occurred yesterday occurred about 300 meters in front of the soldier base.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the accident occurred due to brake failure on a trailer coming down a slope from the Ninth Mile Axis.
“The trailer collided with other vehicles coming from Enugu and not those coming from the same Ninth Mile Axis,” Unuakhalu said.
“Therefore, the accident was frontal and not rear. Therefore, the soldiers never stopped any vehicle on the road to carry out any checks, but instead served as first responders to the accident.”