Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong denounces fake crash on Calabar Itu Highway and vows to push for urgent road rehabilitation to safeguard Nigerian lives
A Nigerian senator has condemned a viral fake road accident falsely linked to the Calabar Itu Highway and pledged urgent action to fix the long-neglected route.
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Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South District, initially reacted with sorrow to a photo circulating online.
The image showed a container fallen on a passenger bus, and users on Facebook claimed it killed 17 people on the Calabar Itu Highway.
The road connects Akwa Ibom and Cross River states and has suffered decades of neglect.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Friday, the senator said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims during this moment of grief.”
He described the road as a “major corridor” plagued by “long-standing infrastructural decay.”
Mr Ekpenyong announced that he would intensify legislative oversight and liaise with the Federal Ministry of Works to push for completion of the highway.
The next day, however, he issued a follow-up statement confirming the story was false.
He explained, “I made efforts to investigate further and offer any forms of assistance” and found no evidence that such an accident had occurred.
The Federal Road Safety Commission also dismissed the incident. Sector Commander Innocent Etuk told Premium Times, “There was nothing like that.”
He said the image first appeared online in 2016 and had been repurposed.
The newspaper later verified that the photo had been previously posted on Nairaland in 2016 and reappeared on Facebook in 2019.
Daily Post, one of the media outlets that published the false report, admitted the story was unauthenticated.
Editor Emmanuel Ugwueze said disciplinary action was underway against the reporter responsible.
Despite the misinformation, Senator Ekpenyong reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the Calabar Itu Highway is completed.
“No family should have to suffer this kind of loss because of failed infrastructure. We owe it to the victims and to all Nigerians to make our roads safer,” he stated.
CrossRiverWatch, another platform that published the claim, has not yet retracted the story. Its editor said they were still looking into the matter.
Although the reported crash never happened, the public response has reignited urgent calls to repair the Calabar Itu Highway.
The road remains a symbol of failed promises and remains hazardous to daily commuters.
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Senator Ekpenyong’s swift reaction and continued pressure on authorities signal a renewed focus on resolving the crisis.
