LTrailer Crushes Kogi Varsity Lecturer in Felele, Lokoj
What began as an ordinary midweek commute for Mrs. Kemi Emmanuel, a lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), ended in tragedy on Wednesday — another reminder of the peril that stalks the ever-busy Lokoja highways.
Eyewitnesses say the scholar was riding on a commercial motorcycle when she reportedly lost balance and fell onto the road at the Crusher junction in Felele, only to be crushed by a speeding trailer.
The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Tenimu Etuku, confirmed the incident, describing it as “very sad and unfortunate.”
According to him, the accident occurred around 3:30 p.m., and though rescue officers responded promptly, she was confirmed dead upon arrival at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital.
Her remains have since been deposited in the hospital’s mortuary.
“This is a painful reminder of how reckless riding and careless driving continue to take precious lives,” Etuku lamented, while expressing concern over the conduct of some okada operators.
The tragedy has reignited public anger and fear across Lokoja, especially within the Felele community, where deadly crashes involving heavy-duty trucks have become distressingly common.
In May, nineteen people — including five children — died in a similar horror crash along the Obajana–Lokoja highway. In April, six lives were lost in a bus accident on the Lokoja–Abuja road. Barely two weeks ago, ten more people were killed in another crash on the same route.
Each incident deepens calls for urgent intervention. Residents and students are now demanding decisive action from the state government — from tighter traffic enforcement to possible daytime restrictions on trailers, allowing them to move only after 9:00 p.m.
They argue that such a measure could save lives and restore a sense of safety to one of Nigeria’s most accident-prone highways.
As one resident put it: “We can’t keep losing people like this. Today it’s a lecturer; tomorrow it could be any of us.”