By Patrick Idowu
A petrol tanker has rammed into the convoy of Senate President Godswill Akpabio in Ibadan, Oyo State, killing a police dispatch rider, Ibrahim Hussaini.
Akpabio disclosed the incident during plenary on Tuesday, describing it as a tragic loss.
He said the accident occurred after members of his convoy picked him up at the Ibadan Airport while on a trip to Oyo State for an official engagement.
According to him, the tanker ran over the dispatch rider, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), leaving him fatally injured.
The late officer was buried shortly after the incident in Kogi State. He is survived by two wives and four children.
Akpabio appealed to heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to grant automatic employment to the children of the deceased, pledging to personally ensure their placement if no vacancies were available.
“I am recommending two of his senior children for immediate employment. If not, I will personally employ them,” he said.
Raising a motion for personal explanation, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) said the late Hussaini, a native of Kogi State, had served in Akpabio’s convoy since 2023 and was due for retirement next year.
Karimi also informed the Senate of the death of Ibrahim Tukur, a driver attached to Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), who reportedly died at his residence on Saturday after 25 years of service.
The Senate observed a one-minute silence in honour of the deceased officers.
