An Eye Witness Account

By Sunday Akoji

Sometime in 2009, I applied for a N5 million loan/Facility from Bank PHB. I provided the original C of O of a landed property valued at N34 million as collateral but the bank insisted I also provide a Guarantor who has an account with them.

I remembered my Uncle, Dr David Salifu, the immediate past Secretary to the Benue State Government has once given me his bank statement from Bank PHB as a sponsor for my UK visa application when I was applying for a student visa for an Msc in Health Economics at the University of Aberdeen. So I called Uncle up on phone for him to do the needful. He said I should come to his house in Makurdi on Saturday so that we can discuss, as he can't talk on phone at the moment.

On Saturday, at about noon I drove to his house. I met him about to go out. He told me he forgot that he had a scheduled event to attend with the Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani in Lagos on Sunday when he asked me to see him on Saturday. He was about leaving for the Deputy Governor's House to join his convoy and proceed to Abuja from where they will catch a flight to Lagos. He was running late, but since I am already in his house, he suggested that I join him in his car so that we can discuss on the way to Abuja, and come back to Makurdi with his driver. I said no shakings, #Leggo.

I jumped into his car and we zoomed off to the Deputy Governor's Lodge from where we filed out in a convoy of about 9 cars enroute Abuja.

The Security details with their AK47 and koboko were in a Peugeot 406 Saloon blaring siren in front. Next was the Pilot 01. We are next and the Deputy Governor was in a Land cruiser 4x4 SUV directly behind us. The back up land cruiser was next, followed by three other cars and a battalion of riot Policemen armed to the teeth in a Hilux van completes the convoy.

This was where I witnessed the stunts, maneuvering and all the drama associated with executive convoys with my korokoro eyes. From what I saw, I can categorically tell you that any convoy on Nigerian road is an accident waiting to happen.

I won't bore you with the details of how effective the security details were in using koboko to chase motorists out of their way or the tactical maneuvers that I witness from Makurdi to Abuja. Permit me to shorten this story by zooming in straight on two incidents that occurred on our way.

As the convoy was descending the winding hills of Akwanga, I noticed there was a trailer ascending the hill from the opposite direction. What happened next was terrifying. The security car left it's lane and started accelerating towards the truck climbing the hill as if it was going for a head-on collision. When it got to about 10 yards before the trailer, the driver brought the car to a halt. The trailer driver also brought the long vehicle to a stop. The Pilot 01 zoomed past fiam, and we followed suit fiam, followed by the Deputy Gomina's car in that order until the last car in the convoy. The security car now veered off onto it's lane and overtook the 8 stretch of cars in the convoy to regain it's position as the lead car. All these drama on the winding hill in Akwanga!

I asked my Uncle's orderly what was that drama for? He told me that the truck was a security risk to the Deputy Gomina and it is the responsibility of the lead Escort car to neutralise any threat to their principal, even if it means sacrificing themselves. I asked him, what if the trailer driver didn't stop? He replied that by training, the Escort is meant to take any harm in front instead of the Oga behind. #LessonNumberOne Escorts are sacrificial lambs. That truck was on his own, minding his business, climbing the winding Akwanga hill jejely, the Escort car left his lane and came to a halt in front of the trailer and started dancing Azonto until all the vehicles in the convoy zoomed past the threat before he moved on. Those overzealous security personnel would have been crushed and pulverised into powered meat if the trailer had kontinu in a straight line with uniform velocity according to Sir Isaac Newton 1st Law of Motion.

More drama happened along the way but I zoomed straight to the climax because I don't want to make this story too long and boring, for the benefit of netizens who lacks the patience to read any update more than a tweet of 140 characters. If you have read up to this point, then keep reading as I am about to get to the biscuit bone of the gist.
After travelling on a single lane for over 250 km, we hit Keffi for the final home stretch to Abuja, spanning about 60 kilometres of dual carriageway or double express lane, if you like.

#TurboAllTheWay #SirenWailingAtHighPitchedDecibel
Give way! Give way!! Ogas at the top have right of way, the siren wailed as all the drivers in the convoy stepped on the accelerator, keeping it locked at maximum throttle as the convoy of cars glides on the road tearing through the air, like hot knife cutting through butter.
In no time we got to Zimbabwe (a local joint along the Keffi - Abuja express way) and the settlement after it.
Fiam the Escort car blaring siren charged towards Abuja.

Fiam the Pilot 01 followed!
Fiam my Uncle's car followed suit!!
Then it happened.
What happened?

The Deputy Governor's car was next but it didn’t follow suit fiam as expected.
Guess what happened? I was gisting with my Uncle and my eyes caught an image on the inner mirror of our car. Swiftly, I turned my head and looked out through the rear windscreen. My uncle did same and screamed: "My Father, My Father!!!!" (The Deputy Gomina is his godfather).
Why was he screaming?
We saw the bullet proof Land cruiser #4x4 in which the Deputy Governor was riding in with his friend Leo, Police orderly and driver somersaulting three times before smashing onto a mango tree, uprooting the entire tree from the ground before coming to a halt on the side where the Deputy Governor was seated.

Meanwhile the driver of our own Land Cruiser, the Pilot 01 and the Security/Escort car made a 180 degree turn and started driving towards the Deputy Governor's car as it was somersaulting. It was like a movie and everything was happening right in front of us. We were watching it live and my Uncle was screaming, "Jesus! Jesus!! each time the land cruiser somersaulted and hit the ground with all four tyres in the air.
What about the cars behind in the convoy? The backup car and the two cars behind opened up in a "Y" shape formation when BNSG 02 went on a May Day hail. One to the left, one to the right and the third one continued on a straight course at reduced speed so as to avoid running into the Land Cruiser dancing Makossa on the highway.
Let's go back to BNSG 02:
We were the first to get to the bush where BNSG 02 finally came to a halt, lying on it's side. The airbag has deployed from all sides and inside the car was completely dark. We could not see anything because gas fumes from the airbag, I guess, have filled the entire atmosphere inside the car.

Someone climbed the car and tried to open the door but it was jammed. Trust onlookers who have gathered round the car. Someone brought a digger and off course the bullet proof windscreen was not #DiggerProof. It obeyed and gave way after repeated pounding.

The Driver came out first, followed by the Police Orderly, both of them unhurt except minor scratches which did not required any treatment.
Next was the Deputy Gomina, he came out kamkpe with no bruise but agitated.
Leo, his friend was worst off. His head was trapped in the space between the two front seats. He had several bruises and a head injury with blood all over.
#Evacuation Completed.

They were transferred into the back up car and we zoomed off to Mayfair Clinic in Mararaba owned by Professor Obekpa for treatment.
The story is becoming too long so permit me to summarise what caused the accident before I sign off.
An Okada motorcycle with no one on it appeared on the road in front of BNSG 02 and the gap behind our car. The distance was so short and the convoy was moving at top speed.

The driver tried to go left in order to avoid a frontal collision with the motorcycle. That would have taken him on a straight course across the road divider to the oncoming lane from Abuja to Keffi. There was a fuel tanker moving in the opposite direction. With that speed any impact will lead to collateral damage. #AbortOptionOne
The driver changed his mind and decided to run across the motorcycle instead. He returned his steering and attempted to drive straight over the motorcycle and see what happens.

I tell you what happened.
The motorcycle got stuck in between the two front wheels. The momentum of impact at top speed pulled the car to the left, the driver returned it back to the right to stay on his original course. The car was dancing Shoki and Etighi simultaneously. At a point, one of the front tyres got punctured and the car now started somersaulting.
Everything happened in split seconds and I watched it all like a tension packed action movie.
At the hospital I saw the driver crying in a corner and I stepped up to him. Oyakwoche, why are you crying, I halla-ed at him. He told me he has been driving for 32 years now and has never had an accident until today.
I told him, C'mon it could have been worst. I told him that he saved the day. His reflexes were sharp and his instincts were on point. He took the right decisions and his courage through the storm was amazing. I saw all his maneuverings and I must give it to him. That motorcycle appearing in his front at such a short distance and with his speed, there was absolutely nothing any driver would have done to avoid a crash.
And he said, if not for the speed that the convoy was moving at, he would have been able to wriggle out of the situation. But Oga was almost missing his flight and they have to accelerate in order to catch the flight.

Anyway the didn't only miss the flight, they entered NO-SHOW on Arik Air.
That's just the way it is. Phew! Got to run. I have a 30 minutes live radio discussion on Naija Info 99.5 Wazobia FM at 9 am today. Tune in if you wanna know what's on the menu.
Dazzol

Interesting!!!

" Lalasticlala , before you send this to the frontpage, please move this thread to romance section, its so sweet to be here(politics section)." Quote me anywhere.