A severe accident involving a heavy-duty truck occurred on March 26, 2026, when the vehicle crashed into a building, resulting in the death of Promise Farotimi, a 21-year-old student in the Building Technology program at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), who was asleep at the time.
The unfortunate event took place in Oke-Ila, located in Aramoko-Ekiti.
The grieving father, Mr. Rufus Farotimi, has called for action from the relevant authorities, seeking justice for his son's untimely death.
In an interview with Hope Newspaper, the distraught father insisted on the urgent need for law enforcement to locate the truck driver who fled the scene and urged the company associated with the truck to accept responsibility for the incident.
Expressing the profound impact of the tragedy, Mr. Farotimi described the dual loss of both his son and home as catastrophic, stating that the accident has left him with nothing.
"My son was the one killed, and I am the owner of the house. This accident has destroyed my house. 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 shared.
Following the incident, the truck driver fled the scene, although residents managed to detain the driver’s assistant, referred to as the “operator boy.”
Documents retrieved from the crash site, including waybills, indicated that the truck was carrying natural gypsum and featured a company letterhead that identified the driver as Shuaibu Yusuf.
While Mr. Farotimi commended law enforcement for recovering his daughter's body and initiating investigations, he lamented that the driver remains unapprehended three days post-accident.
He has called for increased efforts to capture the suspect and for the company operating the truck to take accountability.
"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 stated.
Furthermore, he criticized the road conditions, calling it a long-standing hazard exacerbated by the reckless speeds of heavy-duty vehicles. "This road is very bad and always busy with heavy-duty vehicles, and they are always speeding," he added.
Local community leader Mrs. Caroline Ogunleye corroborated Mr. Farotimi's concerns regarding the dangerous state of the road, deeming the incident preventable due to reckless driving and the dilapidated road conditions.
"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 mentioned.
Ogunleye recalled previous tragedies in the vicinity, including a past accident that took the lives of two siblings three years ago.
She urged truck companies to focus on regular vehicle maintenance and employ experienced drivers to mitigate the increasing rate of such tragedies and called on the government to urgently address the abandoned road project to enhance safety.
Further, she emphasized that there should be enforceable measures to regulate traffic and reduce speeding on the roads, stating, "The government also needs to repair this road and introduce measures to slow down vehicles. We cannot continue like this."
Reports reveal that the Ado-Aramoko-Itawure Road, a crucial federal route in Ekiti State, is frequently congested with heavy-duty traffic. This road connects Ado-Ekiti to Efon-Alaaye and Ilesa in Osun State, facilitating significant truck movements towards Lagos-Ibadan and Kogi State.
In response to the incident, SP Sunday Abutu, spokesperson for the Ekiti State Command, confirmed that the case has been assigned to the State Traffic Section for ongoing detailed investigation.
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