Stomach infrastructure trailer full of rice crashes near Ado Ekiti killing 20 people

NIGERIA'S ongoing political campaign suffer a major tragedy yesterday when a trailer carrying a consignment of rice belonging to Senator Tayo Alasoadura of Ondo Central Senatorial District crashed near Ado Ekiti killing about 20 people.

Under Nigeria's unique political arrangements, candidates running for public office distribute food items known as stomach infrastructure to their constituents, to entice them to vote for them. This tends to include staple food items like rice, gari, yam, cooking oil, fufu, beans, etc as well as luxury items like hair extensions and live chickens, as well as cash payments.

Senator Alasoadura of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is standing for re-election next month and had bought a trailer load of rice to distribute to his constituents in Ondo Central Senatorial District. However, tragedy struck in Iworoko town, few minutes' drive from the Ekiti State capital Ado- Ekiti, after the articulated vehicle rammed into a market located in the town centre.

At the scene of the accident, bodies of the victims could be seen littered across the road where the truck had apparently lost control. Loaded with customised bags of rice with the picture, name and logo of the senator, the lorry crushed two vehicles before it rammed into some shops

Sympathisers, fire fighters, road safety officers and the police were all engaged in the rescue operations which lasted till midnight. Apart from rescuing victims, they also had to prevent angry youths from setting the truck ablaze, while the bodies of the victims were deposited in the Ado Ekiti General Hospital mortuary.