Police Identify Expatriate Casualty in East-West Road Bridge Tragedy [Photos]

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The police have identified the expatriate that drowned when his car plunged into Okulu River, Aleto, Eleme on the East Road on Monday night.

The body was recovered from the river about 4pm on Tuesday, following a combined operation by the Eleme Local Government, the Marine Unit of the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Navy, Federal Road Safety Corps and the National Emergency Management Agency.

The Rivers State Police Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, identified the deceased as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Cassava Project Limited, Gibson Reuben.

The vehicle had plunged into the Okulu River in Aleto on the Eleme axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State Monday night, while trying to escape from an ambush by a gang of suspected kidnappers.

Iringe-Koko said the mobile police personnel who accompanied Mr Reuben managed to escape. She also said the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, who visited the scene, has ordered full investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government, Brain Gokpa, has called for an urgent Federal Government intervention to complete work on that section of the East-West Road.

The chairman attributed the tragedy to the deplorable condition of the East-West Road and bridge despite being a critical route for the heavy industries in the area and the Onne Port complex.
Gokpa, who mobilised rescue teams to the scene said the road in its present state had caused many deaths and loss of valuable property.

“This accident was avoidable. It is a direct result of the poor state of the road, which has been neglected by the federal government despite our repeated appeals,” Gokpa said.

He stressed that the government’s failure to act on the road was also undermining the economic development of the region. “It is unacceptable that despite the presence of several multinational companies in the area, the government has failed to provide a safe and reliable road network,” he said.
Gokpa advised motorists and road users to exercise extra caution due to the road’s hazardous conditions but emphasised that this is only a temporary measure, and that the federal government must take immediate action to address the root cause of the problem.

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Adepoju, who visited the scene commended the council Chairman for his swift response and mobilisation of a rescue team to the scene.