Govs, VIPs’ convoys killed 26 in three years —The Punch Investigation

Accidents involving convoys of state governors and other very important persons claimed at least 26 lives in the past three years, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed.

The auto crashes, which occurred in different parts of the country, also maimed and injured many and destroyed property and vehicles.

Curiously, at least 33 state governors turned down the request to include officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission in their convoys.

 Our correspondent learnt that because of the reckless driving habit of drivers in the convoys of governors, the FRSC had requested several times that its officers be posted to be part of the convoys.

Only three state governors were said to have granted the request. The governors who granted the FRSC request, our correspondents learnt, were Rochas Okorochas of Imo State; Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State; and Alhaji Yisa Yuguda of Bauchi State.

A source at the FRSC said the Commission had complained several times about the conduct of the governors’ convoys and those of other very important persons who breached traffic rules and regulations with impunity.

Many of the governors’ convoys had been involved in road accidents.

The latest of such involved Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State  on December 28, 2012. Wada’s aide-de-camp, Mohammed Idris, died in the accident while the governor who suffered a broken thigh and was discharged on Tuesday from Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, where he underwent surgery.

Checks revealed that the FRSC in May, 2012 conducted a test on governors’ drivers and found out that most of them had poor eyesight and high blood pressure.