Dangote Cement Plc has promised full medical care and welfare support for Mrs Ruth Otabor, who was injured in a road accident involving one of its trucks in Auchi, Edo State.
In a statement on Thursday, the company said senior officials and its insurance team visited the accident scene, met with law enforcement, and later went to see Mrs Otabor and her family at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.
“Following the recent road accident in Auchi, Edo State, involving one of our trucks, which sadly resulted in injury to Mrs Ruth Otabor, senior officials from Dangote Cement Plc, together with our insurance team, promptly visited the scene, engaged with law enforcement authorities, and visited the victim and her family at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital,” the statement read.
The company said it was ensuring full support for her, including comprehensive medical care and compensation, “in line with Dangote Group’s welfare policy.”
However, Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner Josephina Otabor, known as Phyna, has accused Dangote Group and its chairman, Aliko Dangote, of trying to shield the truck driver. In an Instagram post late Wednesday, she wrote, “@aliko\_dangotegcon @dangotegroup we need justices,” alleging that the company told police to remove the truck’s number plate.
She said, “Dear @aliko\_dangotegcon @dangotegroup from all that has happen you decided to rather tell the Nigerian police to remove the plate number on the truck that crush my sister… what happened to seeing my sister first? If that truck and your driver should leave that station!!! I will be right back I’m attending to my sister first.” Switching to pidgin, she added, “Na money you get you no be God. But my God is bigger. Enough is enough una don too cho people but you see this??? Ahhhh.”
Actress Kate Henshaw also posted a video of the truck in police custody, claiming it hit a young woman who had graduated six days earlier and did not stop until an eyewitness chased it down. She said the victim had one leg amputated and might lose the other.
Social media personality VeryDarkMan identified the victim as Otabor Bodon Ruth, Phyna’s younger sister, saying she was hit while leaving Auchi Polytechnic. “As we speak she is battling for her life in an hospital in JETU, as a result of this accident she has lost one leg and some of her system have completely been destroyed… please sir we need you to take full responsibility… we need justice for RUTH,” he said in a video.
Ruth is said to be in critical condition, with the truck still in police custody. The police have not yet issued an official statement.
