AFTER 13-YEAR-WAIT, EXPECTANT COUPLE CRUSHED TO DEATH

Mr and Mrs Olugbuyi

Culled from PUNCH;

A woman, Toyin, who had waited for  13 years to get pregnant, was crushed to death  with her husband, Rotimi Olugbuyi, on Saturday in Ogun State. She was three months pregnant!

The duo were returning from Ibadan, where they had gone for a function, when the incident occurred.

Rotimi was driving the family car and were a few kilometres to their Mowe residence around 5:30pm when one of the car’s tyres burst at Ogere area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

A family member, who pleaded anonymity because he was not empowered to talk on the incident, told PUNCH Metro that the tyre of the car burst on motion and it subsequently somersaulted to the other side of the expressway. He said, “There was a fast-moving trailer heading for Ibadan on the other side. The trailer crushed the car, killing the occupants.

“It was really a gory sight as Rotimi and Toyin were crushed to pieces by the trailer. Their remains were gathered by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and taken to their Ogere Office. The FRSC officials used the contacts they found on their telephone set to inform us about the sad event.”

There were long faces at the Ministry of Information on Monday. The couple were information officers in the ministry. While Rotimi, a level 13 officer, was attached to the state scholarship Board, Toyin, who was on level 10, was the Public Relations Officer for the state Judicial Commission. Some of the couple’s colleagues lamented that the accident happened at the time God was answering the couple’s prayer for a child.

One of them said, “They were married for 13 years but had no children. We were happy for them when we learnt that Toyin was about three months pregnant. They were very nice people and that is why many PROs went for their burial on Sunday.’

Rotimi was said to be a community leader in Mowe and many of the people in the area came for the burial. It was learnt that the couple were buried on Sunday because the trailer mangled the couple. They were buried at the couple’s residence at Church Avenue, Mowe, Ogun State.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, who declined journalists’ request for official reaction of the government, lamented the loss.

 He said, “It is quite shocking and unbelievable.”