From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Ten journalists, including Special Adviser to Benue State Governor on Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua and the state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Atsaka, yesterday escaped death by the whiskers as the convoy of Governor Samuel Ortom got involved in an accident.
Other journalists involved in the accident, which occurred along Abakwa highway at about 4:20pm, while the governor was returning from the scene of Monday’s massacre in Zaki-Biam, include correspondents of Tribune Mr. Babajide Johnson; National Trail, Mr. Kajo Martins, who is also vice chairman of NUJ; Sunday Ogli, Nigerian Pilot; . Peter Duru of the Vanguard as well as Tor Acka of Daily Independent.
It was gathered that an oncoming station wagon vehicle, fully loaded with passengers, lost control and rammed into the NUJ bus, which was the third on the convoy. The bus veered off the road and rammed into a nearby bush.
The correspondent chapel bus, which The Sun correspondent was traveling in and moving directly behind the NUJ bus, escaped narrowly.
The journalists involved in the accident suffered minor injuries, while the driver of the wagon and another passenger had major injury and were in critical condition at the time of filing this report. They were taken to an undisclosed hospital.
Governor Ortom personally ensured that the accident victims were evacuated before his convoy proceeded to Makurdi, the state capital.