Cows cause accident on Ibadan highway

Seven persons were injured yesterday in an accident involving a passenger car and about 20 cows at Omi-Adio in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, end of the Ibadan-Abeokuta expressway.



Nobody died in the mishap.

Also, the police averted a bloody clash between Fulani settlers and some residents of the surrounding villages (host communities) on the scene of the accident.

The policemen were on the scene to convey the injured.

A blue Toyota car bus loaded with 10 passengers, it was gathered, was heading to Ibadan from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when the accident occurred between Aba-Teacher and Aba-Oke village at Omi Adio.

Those who sustained injuries, the driver and six others were said to have been taken to a private hospital for treatment.

One of the cows with a knee injury was removed from the expressway to prevent it from causing more accident on the highway.

An eyewitness said immediately the accident occurred, a young Fulani man, who was directing the cows, called the cows and ran into the bush without caring for the injured passengers in the wrecked Toyota car bus.

The eyewitness said: “It was a terrible scene. This is not the first time we have witnessed accidents by herdsmen. They never listen to the warning that they should not take their cows near the expressway.

“God has been so kind to these passengers. They could have died. The vehicle was badly damaged. But instead of making effort to save life, the Fulani man just called his cows in his language. Immediately, all the cows ran after him, except the injured one on the expressway.

“This is very bad. Something urgent must be done to avoid this problem on the highway.”

The cows were said to have sped off with the herdsman into the bush.

Sympathisers, mostly people from the surrounding villages, pursued the Fulani man but could not trace him.

Some residents, who participated in the rescue to remove the trapped passengers from the wrecked vehicle, started mobilising for a manhunt for the Fulani herdsmen.

It was learnt that while the villagers were about to unleash mayhem on the herdsmen, the driver of the vehicle arrived the scene with two policemen from nearby Omi-Adio Police Station.

The policemen urged the angry residents to avoid making trouble with the herdsmen, adding that the matter had been reported at the station.

A police source at the station confirmed the incident, assuring the people that normalcy had returned to the area.