A grieving father, Mr. Rufus Farotimi, has appealed to authorities for justice and urgent assistance after a tragic truck accident claimed the life of his son and destroyed his home in Aramoko-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The incident occurred on March 26 at Oke-Ila area, when a heavy-duty truck reportedly lost control and rammed into Farotimi’s residence, killing his 21-year-old son, Promise Farotimi, a 300-level student of Building Technology at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, who was asleep at the time.
Speaking with journalists, the distraught father described the incident as a devastating double tragedy, leaving him homeless and bereaved.
“My son was the one killed, and I am the owner of the house. This accident has destroyed everything. I’ve lost my child and my shelter. I don’t even have clothes anymore; what I’m wearing was given to me by my younger brother,” he lamented.
According to him, the truck driver fled the scene immediately after the crash, while residents apprehended the driver’s assistant, popularly known as an “operator boy.”
Farotimi disclosed that documents recovered from the vehicle, including waybills, indicated that the truck was conveying natural gypsum and bore a company letterhead identifying the driver as Shuaibu Yusuf.
While acknowledging that law enforcement officers responded promptly by evacuating the victim’s body and launching an investigation, he expressed concern that the driver remains at large three days after the incident.
He called on security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspect and urged the company linked to the truck to take responsibility for the damage and loss.
“It has been three days, and no one has come to remove the vehicle. I am begging them to come and do what is necessary,” he added.
Farotimi also blamed the poor condition of the road for the accident, describing it as a major hazard compounded by reckless driving by heavy-duty truck operators.
“This road is very bad and always busy with trucks, and they are always speeding,” he said.
A community leader, Mrs. Caroline Ogunleye, corroborated his claims, describing the incident as avoidable. She attributed the rising cases of accidents in the area to speeding drivers and the deteriorating state of the road.
“Truck drivers are always speeding on this road, and the condition of the road makes it worse. Another accident even happened this morning after this incident,” she said.
She further recalled that similar tragedies had occurred in the area, including an accident three years ago that reportedly claimed the lives of two siblings.
Ogunleye urged transport companies to prioritise proper vehicle maintenance and employ experienced drivers, while calling on the government to urgently rehabilitate the road and implement measures to regulate traffic and reduce speeding.
Findings revealed that the Ado–Aramoko–Itawure Road, a major federal route in Ekiti State, has long been plagued by heavy-duty traffic. The road connects Ado-Ekiti to Efon-Alaaye and Ilesa in Osun State, serving as a key transit corridor between the South-West and other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, confirmed that the case has been transferred to the State Traffic Section for thorough investigation.
He assured that efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing driver and ensure justice is served.