TRAGEDY struck in
Enugu and Oyo states
yesterday as 46 persons died
in separate auto accidents.
The accident in Enugu which
occurred at Egede village on
Ninth Mile-Nsukka Highway
were a commuter bus
belonging to Peace Mass
Transit with number plate
BENUE - XB 504 TKP and
another bus owned by
Enugu State Transport
Company, ENTRACO, with
number plate ENUGU– XL
812 UWN each conveying 15
passengers.
The accident claimed 28
passengers and the drivers.
Among the deceased were
four discharged members of
the National Youth Service
Corps, NYSC, who were
returning to their homes
after the national service.
Two persons who were
seriously injured and went
into coma were rescued by
officials of the Federal Road
Safety Commission, FRSC,
who rushed them to a
hospital at Ninth Mile.
The accident in Enugu
The Peace Mass Transit bus
marked 2258 was conveying
passengers from Enugu to
Nsukka and was said to be
overtaking another vehicle
when he collided with
oncoming ENTRACO bus.
Several travelling bags
belonging to the passengers
littered the road as the FRSC
rescue team and
sympathizers discovered four
NYSC discharge certificates in
the luggage.
The FRSC Sector
Commander in Delta State,
Commander Lukas Ikpi who
got to the scene of the
accident while travelling on
the road said he immediately
alerted his men at the Enugu
Sector Command who
rushed to the scene for
rescue operation.
Senator Ayogu Eze,
representing Enugu North
Senatorial District, who was
returning to Enugu with
some journalists after a
function at Igboetiti local
government area met the
FRSC officials removing the
mangled corpses trapped in
the smashed vehicles.
Deputy Governor of Enugu
State, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi
and Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Water Resources,
Dr Godknows Igali, the State
Chairman of PDP, Engr. Vita
Abba, who also attended the
flag off of the N2.57 billion
Adada River Dam at Igboetiti
council also witnessed the
accident and expressed
shock at the number of
casualties.
18 die in Ibadan auto crash
At the Ibadan accident, 18
people were said to have
died after a commercial bus
fell off a bridge at Soka Bus
Stop, Oluyole Local
Government area of the city.
Among those who lost their
lives in the unfortunate
accident were two children
whose ages ranged between
three and five. There were
only three survivors.
The commercial bus with
number plate JIGAWA XB
633 DUT which was Lagos
bound took off from Kano
State and on getting to
Ibadan, involved in an
accident.
According to an eye witness,
the accident happened
around 7.00 am along
Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
A survivor who identified
himself as Ahmadu, said
since they left Kano, the trip
was hitch-free until they got
to Ibadan.
Since they all came from
different places, he could
not identify any of the
deceased whose corpses
have been deposited at the
mortuaries of the Adeoyo
General Hospital, University
College Hospital while others
are receiving treatment in
another hospital.
Men of the Federal Road
Safety Corps, FRSC, and Oyo
State Police Command were
busy rescuing some of the
survivors and taking them to
the hospital.
The state FRSC Sector
Commander, Mr. Godwin
Ogagaoghene confirmed the
accident saying reckless
driving must have been
responsible for the accident.