By Abasi Ita
A police inspector, Edna Matthew, is receiving treatment after she was injured in a road crash involving a Mack truck and a Toyota Sienna bus along the Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar. The incident occurred during a stop and search operation.
The accident happened around the Apostolic Sign Board axis, shortly after Word of Life Church near Bebobsco junction, according to eyewitnesses.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the Mack truck was speeding and honking continuously as it approached from the Zone 6 axis towards a police checkpoint mounted for routine enforcement.
The driver was said to have lost control of the vehicle, allegedly due to brake failure, and collided with a Sienna bus stationed at the checkpoint. The impact reportedly pushed the bus into Inspector Matthew, who was knocked down before the truck ran over both of her legs.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Cross River State Command, Sunday Eitokpa, described it as a serious accident that occurred during active police duty.
“A speeding Mack truck collided with a Sienna vehicle and also struck a police officer, Inspector Edna Matthew, who sustained multiple injuries and is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital,” Eitokpa said.
He added that the truck driver, Michael Elijah, 33, has been arrested while the vehicle has been recovered.
According to him, “investigations are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.”