The Police in Abia and Bayelsa States have absolved a popular transport
company, Peace Mass Transit, PMT, of complicity in the auto crashes which
claimed 23 passengers, on 22nd and 29th June, in Umuahia and Bayelsa,
respectively.
Recall that a PMT bus crashed with a MAN Diesel truck at Umuahia, killing
14 passengers while 9 persons were killed when a Mercedes Benz truck
collided with another bus belonging to the company in Bayelsa state.
In an Police interim report signed by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO,
Akinima, Bayelsa State, ASP Okon Etim, entitled; ‘Re- Case of fatal motor
accident involving a Toyota Hiace bus with Reg no. , ENU 586 XB and a
Mercedes truck with Reg. no NZN 109 XA, and another report from the State
Traffic Office, Police headquarters, Umuahia, signed by Olatubosun Gbenga,
the Police said the driver of the MAN Diesel truck was over speeding and
drove recklessly leading to the crash at Umuahia while in Bayelsa, the
driver of the Mercedes Benz truck swerved from his lane to the lane of the
PMT bus where it had a head on collision leading to the death of nine
passengers.
“On the report of the accident, the scene was visited, sketch map was
drawn, corpse deposited at the Federal Medical Centre morgue, Umuahia.
Accident vehicles were recovered for VIO’s investigation. Photographs of
the vehicles and scene were taken. On the Bayelsa accident, the corpses
were deposited at Paradise Mortuary Services, Zarama. The truck driver,
Samuel Kalu is culpable and will be charged to court as soon as he
recovers.”
Addressing a press conference in Enugu, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of PMT, Chief Samuel Maduka Onyishi, who said the company, has been
in a mourning mood since the accidents; however lamented the outcry against
PMT even when its drivers were not culpable in the two accidents.
According to him, “Nobody cared to ask questions about the cause of the
accidents or the truck driver; what everybody is saying, Kill Peace, kill
Peace. There has been uproar from our customers and the public. We are not
unaware of calculated attempts to bring us down. We are blamed even people
kill my drivers and passengers. It is only the government agencies that
took a different position. The Police and FRSC have released their released
their reports on the accidents, now everybody have seen that PMT drivers
were not the cause of the accidents. People judge us from outside because
they are aware of these facts.”
Onyishi disclosed that PMT have well maintained buses fitted with speed
limiters while her drivers are regularly trained on safety measures and
appealed to the public to continue to support the company.
“I want to be among the people who developed this country. I started as a
bus driver and stopped driving when we got 18 buses. From two buses in
1995, PMT has over 3,000, moving passengers across 26 states. All the money
I make, I invest them in motor parks and buses to create jobs. I have
created jobs in over 26 states. PMT has over 4,000 employees. In Nigeria,
every staff has at least 4 dependents. If so much hatred and wickedness is
meted out on me, is it an incentive for us to continue to invest? It is
painful.”
He added that the company operates a safety scheme for passengers and does
not fail in reaching out to the injured and bereaved families.