A foreigner and others have been feared dead as a white Toyota Hilux believed to be owned by a company plunged into Okulu Aleto Bridge in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State while attempting to escape from suspected kidnappers.
According to reports, the driver lost control of the vehicle after gunmen attacked the convoy, causing it to skid off the bridge and plunge into the river.
A source in the area said a company convoy was attacked close to the bridge by some armed hoodlums and that the driver of the white Hilux had attempted to escape when the vehicle ended up in the Okulu River.
Although the Aleto bridge is undergoing reconstruction, the bridge which is on the East-West road that connects Port Harcourt with Ogoni communities as well as Akwa Ibom, has been in bad shape for a long time now.
It was gathered that the bridge has remained a death trap after vandals removed its railings.
It also learned that it was the deplorable state of the bridge that aided the easy access of the vehicle into the river.
It was further learnt that there is a kidnap gang that anchors by the river to kidnap people on that bridge and ferry them away through the river to unknown destination.
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Chairman of the Property Owners on Eleme East-West Road, Joseph Obele, in a statement, said Monday’s accident was one of the reasons for calling for the revocation of RCC’s contract.
Obele said: “The accident led to a vehicle plunging off the dilapidated bridge, and rescue operations are underway. Emergency response teams, including the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps, and local police, are working together to conduct rescue operations.
“Furthermore, road users have consistently complained about the hazardous condition of the Aleto bridge, which has been left unprotected for an extended period. Despite these warnings, RCC failed to take necessary measures to address the risks, resulting in this tragic accident.”
Meanwhile, a source in the area said the search and rescue operation team was mobilized by the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Chief Brain Gokpa, Tuesday morning and that the search operation has been on.
The source, who preferred anonymity, noted that the victims were moving in a convoy of company workers when they were ambushed by armed hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers and in a bid to evade the ambush the van plunged into the river.
The source said the search team comprising men from the Nigerian Navy and other rescue agencies late on Tuesday found the van and one of the occupants dead.
However, at press time, the search operation is still ongoing to fish out other occupants of the Hilux van.
Meanwhile, the new commissioner of Police, Mr Olugbenga Adewole, led the police team to the scene while the operation was on and commended the local government chairman for his efforts so far.
