…Victims’ family members recount ordeal, solicit govt’s assistance
…Otti promises help
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
It was a black Saturday in Umuahia, Abia State, as 14 guests returning from a traditional marriage and wedding ceremony in Enugu perished in a tragic auto crash.
They were returning from a marriage ceremony at Amagunze, Nkanu, in Enugu State when the coaster bus conveying them collided head-on with an articulated vehicle (trailer) along the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway.
The tragedy occurred around 6 p.m. near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ozalla, a few metres away from the popular 4-Corner Junction.
Various accounts said 12 passengers reportedly died instantly at the scene, while others later succumbed in hospital.
The survivors are still hospitalised in various facilities in Umuahia and Enugu, where medics are making spirited efforts to save their lives.
Investigations revealed that most of the deceased were traders dealing in foodstuff at Bonny Street, by Owerri Road, near Isi Gate, Umuahia.
The groom, Mr. MacDonald Okechukwu, an indigene of Orlu in Imo State, was said to be one of the traders in the area.
His wife hails from Amagunze in Nkanu, Enugu State, where both the traditional marriage and wedding ceremony were held a few minutes before the tragedy.
When our correspondent visited Bonny Street on Monday, the usually bustling business hub was in a mourning mood.
Shops were shut, while sympathisers thronged the area to console grieving families.
Speaking to our correspondent, Miss Glory Chiamaka Orji, 27, who lost her father in the crash, said the family was still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
Her late father, Mr. Sunday Nkemakolam, hailed from Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
“He was hale and hearty before embarking on the journey,” she said, adding that the groom was formerly their co-tenant at No. 8 Bonny Street before relocating about a year ago.
“I received a call from an unknown number around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, telling me my father had been involved in an accident. We started making calls immediately, and the survivors confirmed it. It still feels like a dream; it’s hard to believe my father is gone,” she lamented.
Another trader, who preferred anonymity, described the groom as a friendly and sociable person who personally invited many traders, accounting for the large turnout.
“At least eight traders from Bonny Street died,” she said tearfully.
“There is still someone in a coma. She lost her mother and her sister’s husband, who got married barely two years ago.”
She further narrated that a gospel preacher, said to be a police officer who often visited the market for evangelism, had recently spoken about sensing a mass burial — a message many traders reportedly did not take seriously.
“The preacher called for special prayers and an altar call, but some people did not come out, thinking it was the usual way preachers make merchandise of people.”
Recalling one of the victims fondly known as “Mbaise,” she said: “Anytime our electricity or borehole had issues, he fixed them immediately. He was a father of five, and the children are still very young. How will the wife cope? Life is truly unpredictable.”
A popular Master of Ceremony in Umuahia known as MC Counsellor, who had gone to anchor the wedding ceremony, was among the victims.
A bystander told our correspondent that his church member cheated death by a whisker following the advice of his pastor’s wife, who cautioned him against the trip or advised him to travel in his private car if he must attend the ceremony.
According to him, the church member heeded the advice and travelled in his private car.
The groom and his bride were said to have stayed back in Enugu after the ceremony when the guests, including the groom’s kinsmen from Orlu, left for Umuahia.
Chairman of Bonny Street Traders Association, Mr. James Edeh, who confirmed the incident, described it as horrific.
He said the trailer driver claimed that the bus driver was allegedly driving against traffic.
According to him, the trailer driver claimed he was attempting to overtake a tricycle when the bus emerged from the opposite direction, leading to the fatal head-on collision.
“We evacuated 12 bodies, including eight traders, two kinsmen of the groom and two other guests,” Edeh said.
“We were advised to leave two bodies — the bus driver and another victim from Enugu — so their families could more easily claim them from the Enugu mortuary.”
“We have not had rest since Sunday. This type of tragedy has never happened here. When they were leaving for Enugu on Saturday, my neighbour, called Mama Oyibo, was well dressed, and people were shouting her name as she passed through the market. Unfortunately, she was among the victims.”
He disclosed that several injured persons are receiving treatment in private hospitals across Umuahia and appealed to the Abia State Government to urgently intervene to ensure adequate medical care for the survivors.
A sympathiser told our correspondent that one of the victims, his friend who suffered a broken knee, was admitted to the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu.
When contacted, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Ferdinand Ekeoma, said the Governor had issued a directive for the victims to be identified for assistance.
“The Governor expressed sadness over the incident and quickly directed the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection to swing into action and identify the victims and their families.
“This is to enable the government to determine how it can support the treatment of those who sustained injuries and also assist the families of the victims.”
Ekeoma sympathised with the victims’ families and assured them that help was on the way.
