NUJ chair, wife, daughter killed in auto crash on Ondo-Akure road:

FOUR persons - a  couple, their daughter and house help-yesterday, died in a miltiple accident involving the convoy of  Ondo State deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi. A  traditional ruler, the Osunmakinde of Ife Tuntun, Osun State, Oba Obawure Taofeek Olaposi, who was seriously injured in the crash, is on admission in Ondo State Specialist  Hospital,  Akure.

The deceased are the Chairman of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) chapel  of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Alex Akinwale, his wife, Rebecca, and daughter, Pauline. The Akinwales first  child, Paul, who was also involved in the crash, however, survived. The wife was  a staff in the Marketing Department of the NTA,  Akure.

However the deputy governor escaped death. Eyewitness account revealed that the  crash occurred at  Apomu-Owena along Akure -Ondo Road when  a white Toyota Camry car belonging to the monarch  ran into Olanusi's  convoy among other vehicles while trying to overtake.

It was  learnt that the driver of the Camry dangerously overtook the  vehicles and, in the process, rammed into  on-coming vehicles including  those  in  the deputy governor's convoy resulting in the multiple accident. The NTA couple were coming from Ondo town after attending a burial ceremony.

It was gathered  that the Camry rammed into the couple's car before hitting the deputy governor's convoy. The monarch and a teenager  in his vehicle are  receiving treatment at the Akure specialist hospital. The corpses of the deceased were said to have also been deposited at the hospital mortuary. The Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr Daisi Ajayi, said his principal was on his way to Ondo for an official assignment when the incident occurred.

Ajayi said  one of the security cars in Olanusi's  convoy was  badly damaged as a result of the incident. Meanwhile, it was  wailing at the premises of the NTA,  Akure following the death of the couple. Immediately the news of the death of the Akinwales  spread, workers trooped to the television station  located at Oba-Ile to confirm  it (Vanguard).