Drivers, 15 Passengers Escape Death as Speeding AVG Vehicle Crashes into Shuttle Bus

By Olisemeka Obeche

About six passengers and the driver travelling in a commercial bus with registration number ENU 492 XN escaped death on Friday morning in Awka, Anambra state. The unmarked Toyota Sienna Vehicle, with the bold inscription, AVG Lilu and fully loaded with vigilante operatives crashed into the Toyota bus, sending both vehicles into roadside gutters.
The accident, which took place around 11:25 am, in front of the Awka office of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), directly opposite Government House, on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in Awka, AnambraDaily gathered, was caused by excessive speed and overtaking from wrong side.

Following the incident, four of the supposed AVG operatives believed to be on illegal operation, were apprehended and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, office at Awkuzu.
The driver of the shuttle bus, Onyeka Iloka, who sustained minor injury, told AnambraDaily that the accident was caused by speeding and wrong driving. According to him, the driver of the AVG vehicle, was travelling on a high speed and tried to overtake another vehicle from the right side.

Unaware that he (the commercial driver) was ahead of the vehicle he was trying to overtake, dropping off a passenger, the AVG Sienna driver noticed the bus ahead rather too late because of his speed and could only crash into the stationary bus.
“My vehicle was on the side because a passenger was about to alight, but the speed at which he was travelling was too much and he was overtaking from a wrong side. Unfortunately, when he saw my vehicle discharging passenger and wanted to stop, his brakes failed and the vehicle hit me on the back sending my vehicle into the gutter while their own crashed into the other side of the road.”
“I was carrying about six passengers when the accident took place and they were injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

I sustained just minor injury but will go for further tests to know the extent of the injury.
“I thank God that I survived to tell the story. Anybody who saw what happened would not have believed that we would survive but, as God would have it, I was the first person to get off the vehicle. I sat down at the roadside, bewildered by what had just happened.

Shortly after I sat down, my passengers were rescued from the vehicle.
This is the reason it is always advisable to pray, first thing in the morning, and ask God to lead you safely through the day. I believe it was the prayer that my wife and I had this morning that saved me.”
Iloka said he was still watching out to ensure that the people responsible for the accident replaced his damaged vehicle.
“I learned that some of them ran away after the accident. And my concern is that they may be fake AVG, as suspected.

“Yes, they were driving a vehicle with the inscription AVG Lilu when the accident occurred, but we could not identify who they were and what mission they came to Awka for and why they were driving in such a high speed. We needed to investigate further and get to the root of the matter because we are supposed to know about their mission in Awka. From the look of things, they are not bad people. The problem, however, is that we are not aware of their mission.”

So, I’m waiting for the conclusion of investigation to know the truth because they will buy me a new shuttle bus as this one has been damaged beyond repairs.”
Meanwhile, AnambraDaily can authoritatively report that the incident caused commotion when some officials and operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Group who responded to the situation disowned the AVG team, leading to the arrest of four members of the team. It was gathered that other occupants of the AVG-marked Sienna bus had fled the scene shortly after the accident, a development that sparked suspicion that they were in Awka on an illegal operation.
About four members of the team were arrested and whisked away to Awkuzu CID for what a top official said was ‘further investigation on their full identity and mission in Awka’.
They were taken on that ride to the CID by men of the AVG Anambra state headquarters in Awka.
The officer who spoke to AnambraDaily on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said they were being taken there “for further investigation.”