By Joseph Ude
Contrary to what has been popularly described as an unfounded social media publication tagged “Oba Deadly Clash: Our Officers were Ambushed, Deliberately Killed by Tipper Drivers — SASA Spokesperson” eyewitnesses have revealed that the avoidable, unfortunate and pathetic auto crash which claimed the lives of some people was as a result of recklessness. They added that the Special Anti-Touting Squad (SASA) officers who died ‘killed themselves by themselves’ because the SASA they were the ones driving the three vehicles involved in the ghastly accident along Onitsha—Oba—Owerri Expressway last Friday, January 31, 2025.
Giving their own side of the story, God’s Own Tipper Owners and Drivers Association Anambra State refuted allegations that claimed that it was tipper drivers that laid ambush to kill SASA Officers, saying that the tipper garage was neither a den of armed robbers nor a hub for drug peddlers.
According to the Association’s Unit Chairman, Oba Old Road Junction garage, Mr. Alochukwu Egbobe who narrated the tipper drivers ordeal in the hands of the SASA Operatives before the accident, I was at the garage on Thursday, 30th January 2025 taking my breakfast when some members of SASA came around the garage dragging and beating one of the tipper drivers with a club when I inquired, from the person I supposed was their team leader he told me that the driver Mr Ifeanyi Okoli was obstructing them from arresting somebody they were pursuing from junction who ran towards the garage direction into the road leading to the Estate. But before the team leader talking to me could finish his explanation one of the SASA Operatives came from behind and kicked my plate and the food splattered all over my body.
“SASA eventually arrested Mr Ifeanyi Okoli and one other person that Thursday without any resistance and locked them up at SASA cell at Down flyover Upper Iweka were they have been receiving all manner of dehumanizing treatment.
“Before I came to the garage on Friday, because we were still making plans to go and bail Ifeanyi, I learnt that SASA came with two buses beat up and arrested about 5 drivers and some loaders and drove off with the blue tipper which was about loading a sand dump at the garage without any atom of resistance before the crash occurred,” said Egbobe.
The duo of Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Isikomkom, Chairman of the Loaders and Chukwunonso Agudosi who were both eye witnesses on that fateful Friday corroborated the Unit Chairman’s report.
They said they were eye witnesses present at the garage when the anti tout squad stormed the place and started beating up every one they could lay hands on but they managed to escape watching from a distance.
“They beat up our drivers and loaders inside the garage without telling anyone the crime we committed. Chibueze, the owner of the blue tipper was at the garage about loading sand from a dump(sand earlier tipped) inside the garage when the SASA squad arrived and pull him out of the steering, arrested him and his loaders beat them up with axe and pestle, forced them into one of the SASA buses with Jekwu an old driver, Chikodili, Jakota and Izuchukwu.
“One of the SASA Officers jumped into the blue tipper about to be loaded started the tipper and drove out of the garage, entered the one way expressway and started heading towards the new road Junction probably for another arrest at the New road Junction tipper garage.One of the SASA bus was right behind the tipper while the other bus entered the other lane and started speeding to overtake or catch up with them before the accident happened suddenly,” they said.
Earlier, the President of God’s Own Tipper Owners and Drivers Association, Comrade Ogechukwu Ndozie began by expressing his condolences to the families of the accident victims.
“I pray God to give the bereaved the fortitude to bear their losses. I also pray for speedy recovery of the accident victims who sustained varying degrees of injury including our drivers and loaders who were inside the bus when the accident happened.
“I want to state emphatically that this tipper garage and Association have been existing for over 20 years now and we have not had issues of crime or criminality, the police can attest to that. I wonder why someone should frame up an entire association branding us killers, armed robbers or drug peddlers just because of an accident caused by some overzealous persons in the name of working for our state government.
“Violence is never the best way to handle things. I know our Solution governor is a professor and well polished, some of these adhoc workers are frustrating his good efforts to make Anambra State a liveable and prosperous homeland. I suggest that some of these taskforce or operatives should be subjected to training, screened to check their mental or health stability before committing certain responsibilities involving human lives and property into their hands,” said Ndozie.
Reacting to a related publication involving the same SASA Spokesperson Karen James who claimed that some imaginary suspects named Chibon Hotel, Kaima Hotel, the Chairman Oba Youth, the Tipper Chairman, and a figure identified as Ocha Abinno as alleged sponsors of the accident turned “attack or what she christened Oba clash”? were being investigated, Ndozie warned journalists or reporters to make proper investigations before spreading falsehood on the internet space for public consumption except such a journalist was ready to answer for libel.
Moreover, Kaima Hotel owner, Nze Ifeanyi Onwupenata, who spoke to our reporter on phone said he was still surprised why he should be linked to an accident which he was not in town when it occurred.
“I reside with my family at Enugu and I am very surprised to hear that I sponsored an accident which took place at Oba Onitsha Owerri expressway involving three vehicles which its video went viral on the internet from Enugu State. This must be a calculated or sponsored publication to tarnish my image.I wonder what this Karen James is up to,” he concluded.
