Panic gripped Summit Road in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, after officials of the Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA) caused a horrific crash that nearly claimed the lives of an infant, her mother, and three other innocent citizens.
Eyewitnesses described the accident which occurred on Thursday March 28, 2025, as a direct result of reckless and lawless driving by DESTMA officials, who attempted to intercept a mini truck they accused of violating traffic rules.
In a dangerous and poorly executed move, the DESTMA Hilux vehicle double-crossed the road, smashing into a Toyota Corolla occupied by a nursing mother and her baby before causing a chain reaction collision involving the mini truck.
The impact severely damaged the Corolla’s passenger side where the mother and infant were seated, trapping them temporarily inside the wreckage.
It took the frantic efforts of passersby to rescue the visibly traumatized victims.
The occupants of the mini truck were similarly trapped, with their vehicle’s door crushed and requiring forceful extraction.
The owner of the Corolla, a woman in her 50s, recounted her terror: “They never signaled me. I was simply driving when their Hilux rammed into me without warning. Then the driver even tried to flee. It was unbelievable.”
A DESTMA official later admitted confusion among colleagues, claiming they intended to stop a different vehicle.
According to him, miscommunication led to the wrongful pursuit and reckless interception of the ash-coloured Corolla rather than the alleged violators.
However, the DESTMA driver’s account failed to justify why civilians had to suffer the consequences of the agency’s operational incompetence.
Matters escalated when the Director General of DESTMA, Mr. Benjamin Okiemute, reacted defensively when contacted by this reporter.
Initially dismissive, Okiemute shifted to intimidation tactics when pressed with evidence, issuing veiled threats to the journalist involved:
“Mr. man, eh always do proper investigation before you do anything.
“Because the vehicle you are saying there was a baby inside the vehicle, the Corolla is inside our office here.
“The Corolla and the owner of the vehicle are here. The vehicle that hit that motor even the DESTMA have gone to replace the bumper for the woman.
“And you said the man, when you make some reports, then, you will follow up again, then you will go to Court to defend yourself again.
“Because the Corolla is inside our office here now and they’ve went to replace the vehicle for the owner of the Corolla, the bumper have been replaced now”.
The hot conversation between the journalist and DESTMA DG continues”who told you that they replace, if they stop a vehicle and it was that vehicle that they stopped that made that Corolla to have issue.
“And the people that stopped that vehicle are telling you that because of that motor they stopped that is why the issue happened to the Corolla and they divided to repair the Corolla for the person.
“No, please, please. Be very very careful about your journalism eh. Be very very careful about your journalism. I’m not that type. Go and ask of me oo.”
“If you write any how issue, then, you will see yourself”.
His comments have sparked outrage among civil rights advocates, who see the agency’s attitude as emblematic of the wider culture of impunity within Delta’s traffic enforcement system.
Eyewitnesses at the scene did not mince words. “DESTMA officials no longer enforce safety; they endanger lives,” said Sunday Mudiaga, a local resident.
“One day, if they are not careful, people will burn them and their vehicles. Imagine if that baby had died, would this story be the same?”
Despite DESTMA’s belated replacement of the Corolla’s bumper, public anger remains high.
Many are calling for urgent reform of the agency’s operations, insisting that DESTMA’s mission to ensure safer roads is fast being overshadowed by reckless behavior, extortionist practices, and a disturbing disregard for human life.
The Asaba crash stands as yet another chilling reminder: when law enforcers become lawbreakers, the public pays the ultimate price.
