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Details have emerged from Saturday’s ghastly accident at the Iseyin end of the Moniya-Iseyin road.
According to available reports, nine members of a Baptist Church in Ibadan were among the 18 dead passengers.
It was gathered on Sunday that a Reverend and eight members of the church were in the bus that was coming from Saki which collided with the one coming from Ibadan.
An online medium, The Chronicler, claimed sources close to one of the victims revealed that the nine church members went to Saki for a ceremony and were on their way back when the incident occurred.
The bodies of the nine victims were deposited at Our Lady Hospital in Iseyin, apart from those deposited at FADOK hospital, also in Iseyin.
The wife of of the Reverend of the yet to be identified church, who is still in coma, suffered broken legs and arms, and is yet to know the status of her husband and other members involved in the accident.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have called on the Oyo State Government to urgently put in place speed breakers at locations like ‘Serafu, kilometer 2 Cattle market and the Iseyin Muslim Burial ground junction’, along Iseyin-Moniya road to dissuade motorists from over-speeding.
The Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdganiy Adekunle called on motorists to value human lives and exercise patience while driving.
Also, a member of Oyo State House of Assembly, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju state constituency, Mr Dele Adeola, called for immediate erection of necessary road signals and speed breakers to guide users of the newly reconstructed road and prevent unnecessary accidents.
In the same vein, a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday by the National President, Iseyin Development Union (I.D.U), Mr Bayo Raji, said the call became imperative in view of the many lives and properties that have been lost to road accident along the newly reconstructed 76 kilometer road.
Raji said the areas mentioned have villages or markets where human and vehicular movements are always high as well as sharp bends that need speed breakers to force motorists into reducing their speed.
“We pray for the souls of the dead in this ghastly accident and many more incidents that have claimed lives, limbs and properties because of over-speeding by drivers along our roads and their families that the Lord Almighty give them the strength to bear the loss.
“We also beseech our governor, who has always listened and acted in accordance with the yearnings of the people to please call the contractor to put speed breakers at critical points along this road, like the ‘Serafu’ market, the kilometer 2 cattle market, some villages where activities are rife as well as the junction at the Iseyin Muslim burial ground.
“We believe that as the speed breakers have worked in reducing speed of motorists at the Ibadan end of this road, the same sanity will prevail at the Iseyin end as well and we shall not witness such waste of lives anymore,” Raji said.