A petrol tanker on Sunday rammed into the convoy of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, killing a police dispatch rider attached to him.
Akpabio disclosed the incident on Tuesday during plenary at the Senate while announcing the death of the officer, identified as DSP Ibrahim Hussaini.
According to the Senate President, the accident occurred shortly after his convoy picked him up from the Ibadan airport following an official visit to the state.
“I went to Oyo State for the installation of our colleague. Unfortunately, my dispatch rider was run over by a tanker driver and his head was shattered,” Akpabio told lawmakers.
He said Hussaini was buried earlier on Tuesday in Kogi State, adding that the late officer left behind two wives and four children.
The Senate President, who condoled with the bereaved family, appealed to heads of ministries, departments and agencies to grant automatic employment to the deceased’s children.
He added that he would personally take responsibility for their employment if no vacancies were available.
“By the grace of God, I’m recommending two of his senior children for immediate employment in any parastatals that may wish to take them. Otherwise, I will employ them personally in my private concerns,” he said.
Raising a motion for personal explanation, the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, formally brought the incident to the attention of the chamber.
He described Hussaini as a dedicated officer from Kogi State who was due to retire in 2026.
Karimi noted that the late dispatch rider had served in Akpabio’s convoy since the Senate President assumed office in 2023.
During the same session, Karimi also informed the Senate of the death of another aide, Ibrahim Tukur, a driver to Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), who reportedly died at his residence on Saturday.
Paying tribute, Jibrin said he had worked with Tukur for 25 years, dating back to his time at the defunct AfriBank.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the two deceased aides.
Police dispatch riders are officers assigned to ride motorcycles as part of official convoys of public office holders.
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