By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Sogakope
The Tongu Divisional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, ASP Victor Sekey, has commended the youth and residents of Sokpoe in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region for their exemplary display of patriotism, honesty and empathy following an accident involving an articulated truck loaded with spaghetti and tinned tomatoes.
The residents worked closely with the police to secure and protect the truck’s cargo from Saturday dawn until Sunday evening, ensuring that none of the goods was looted despite the lengthy recovery operation.
Speaking in an interview with this reporter at Sogakope, ASP Sekey praised the conduct of the residents, describing their actions as worthy of emulation.
“It is good to be good,” he remarked, while expressing gratitude to the people of Sokpoe for their cooperation and civic responsibility.
The articulated truck, with registration number TG 4725-M, was transporting thousands of cartons of spaghetti and tinned tomatoes from the Port of Tema to Lomé, Togo, when the accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
According to preliminary investigations, the coupling linking the truck’s tractor head to the trailer developed a major crack while the vehicle was entering Sokpoe Township. The mechanical failure affected the vehicle’s stability, causing the driver to lose control and resulting in the accident.
Fortunately, the two occupants of the truck—the driver, Mohammed Abdul Razak, and his mate, Alhassan Ziblim—escaped unhurt.
Speaking to the news team, Mr. Ziblim recounted the incident, explaining that the sudden mechanical fault made it impossible for the driver to maintain control of the vehicle.
Although the accident caused traffic congestion along the stretch of road for several hours, officers of the Ghana Police Service, assisted by residents of Sokpoe, successfully managed traffic and later cleared the damaged truck from the highway.
Beyond helping to remove the vehicle from the road, the residents also assisted the police in safeguarding the cargo throughout the recovery operation. They further volunteered to help repack the goods into another articulated truck for onward transportation to their destination.
ASP Sekey said the honesty and discipline demonstrated by the residents prevented significant losses to the owner of the goods and reflected the strong communal spirit that exists in the area.
The owner of the cargo, Mussa Salifu, also expressed appreciation to the police and the people of Sokpoe for their support, commitment and integrity during the operation.
As a gesture of gratitude, some of the food items were distributed to women and children in the community in appreciation of the assistance they offered throughout the recovery exercise.
