St. John’s Anglican Church
By Tony Adibe
Residents of Idaw-River Layout in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State in Nigeria’s Southeast Zone have described the Achina Street-College Avenue T-Junction, connecting to Umueze Ohachi Street/Upper Mount 4-Corner Junction —popularly known as Nze Junction— as “a terrifying nightmare.” What was intended as a routine urban thoroughfare has become a deadly stretch, claiming lives and leaving others gravely injured, while motorists exploit the smooth, newly rehabilitated roads to speed recklessly.
The roads, reconstructed under the Governor Peter Mbah-led administration, have ironically become a magnet for traffic accidents, according to residents. They blame the high-speed racing, inadequate road signage, and the lack of speed-reducing measures for the frequency of auto crashes. “The smoothness of the roads tempts drivers to drive at neck-breaking speeds. They forget these are not expressways,” a local resident told NewsBits.
Two particular “flashpoints” have been identified by residents: the T-Junction connecting Achina Street to College Avenue, which also serves as the main entry to St. Gregory De Great Catholic Church and St. John’s Anglican Church, and the Nze Junction, linking Upper Mount 4-Corner to Umueze Ohachi Street. Both areas are sites of recurring accidents, endangering not only motorists but a significant number of pedestrians—including children attending schools and church activities nearby.
A Community In Fear
On the evening of Tuesday, 21 April 2026, nine-year-old Paloma Osinachi, a primary four pupil of Golden Academy, was crossing College Avenue when a racing tricycle allegedly without headlamps hit her. “My wife heard a loud sound and saw that the victim was our daughter,” recalled Hon. Osinachi Udeh, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and resident of College Avenue. Shockingly, the same tricycle had been involved in another accident just two days earlier.
Paloma sustained multiple injuries, including cuts to her lower jaw, bruises on her elbow and upper chest, and damaged knees. She was rushed first to Blessed Assurance Hospital, then referred to Memphis Hospital in Trans-Ekulu for X-rays, eventually performed at Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital, Uwani. Though discharged Wednesday evening, the incident left a lasting imprint on her family and the community. “One lesson I’ve learned is to be extremely careful about the movement of children at night,” Osinachi said.
Residents recount multiple such accidents. In February 2026, a fast-moving Lexus hit a boy on his way to Catechism class at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church, leaving him injured on the road.
“People were busy filming with their phones instead of helping him. I rushed to hold him while another neighbor, Dr. Ike Ogbodo, took him to the hospital,” recalled a nearby cement dealer. In March, another boy’s neck was reportedly twisted after a collision with an ash-colored Lexus Jeep 350 near the same T-Junction.
The LEGACY OF UNSAFE ROADS
The problem, locals say, is rooted in the absence of proper road traffic management. While Governor Sullivan Chime’s administration previously rehabilitated College Avenue and other roads in the area, no traffic signs were installed, leaving motorists unaware of schools, churches, and residential density along the roads. “There’s no indication that churches with high attendance like St. Gregory’s and St. John’s Anglican, or schools with over 1,600 students like Idaw River Girls Secondary School, are nearby,” a resident explained.
Tragic stories continue to pile up. In a shocking incident along the “Ukwu-Aki” axis of College Avenue, a car overtaking another vehicle knocked two pedestrians into a gutter. Shortly afterward, a Jeep struck 10-year-old twins, Nwaka Chikamso Joseph and Nwaka Chukwuemeka Solomon. Joseph tragically died, while Solomon survived but required extensive medical care.
Mrs. Okpala Ijeoma, their mother, recounted the devastating ordeal, recalling the lengthy hospital transfers and ongoing trauma. Another resident, Mrs. Blessing Okamkpa, told of her 10-year-old son, Chiagozie Chukwujiofor, who survived a similar accident in November 2025 while attending Catechism at St. Gregory’s. In both cases, while the drivers assisted with medical bills, the recurring accidents underline systemic gaps in road safety measures.
A particularly harrowing story emerged from the family of 65-year-old Mr. Madukoro, who died after being hit by a hit-and-run driver while returning from Ash Wednesday services at St. Gregory De Great. “We were rushed across multiple hospitals, each turning us away until we reached Annunciation Hospital, Emene, where he eventually died,” said Mrs. Stella Madukoro. The lack of prompt emergency care, coupled with reckless driving, illustrates the deadly consequences of inadequate road infrastructure and safety awareness.
CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION
The Idaw River community is quite united in its demand for speed bumps, zebra crossings, and visible road signs to curb reckless driving. Dr. Ogbodo Ikechukwu, manager at BetKing Game Centre near the T-Junction, stressed, “Government must install speed breakers on College Avenue. With schools, churches, and health centers nearby, the authorities’ first constitutional duty is to save lives and property.”
Mothers like Mrs. Okamkpa echo this sentiment: “We are begging Governor Peter Mbah to put zebra crossings, road signs, or caution warnings. What we are witnessing is unbelievable—a terrifying nightmare. We don’t want a situation where five pedestrians are killed at once before action is taken.”
Church leaders are also advocating for intervention. Ven. Dr. Davidson Udodi, Vicar in-Charge of St. John’s Anglican Church, emphasized the safety of children: “Our pupils use College Avenue daily. Speed bumps are necessary to protect them.” Even local tricycle operators, such as Ike, recognize the need for government intervention. “There’s no problem beyond government’s capacity. Speed breakers are not a challenge if the government decides to act,” he said.
Idaw River Girls Secondary School
Residents point out that vehicles originally using Agbani Road now divert to College Avenue to bypass traffic gridlock at Mayor axis on the ever-busy Agbani Road, intensifying the road’s risk. Mama Nkechi, a local shop owner near Nze Junction, acknowledges the governor’s road rehabilitation efforts but underscores the dangers posed by unchecked speeding.
Mrs. Okpala summarized the community’s appeal: “If there had been speed bumps, the accident involving my twins wouldn’t have happened. Drivers must be reminded that pedestrians’ lives matter.” Stakeholders call on church leadership to collaborate with the government to identify lasting solutions, citing examples of other Enugu roads where speed bumps have successfully reduced accidents near schools and busy junctions.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE —or LACK THEREOF?
Despite repeated inquiries, the Ministry of Works & Infrastructure has been largely unresponsive. When NEWSBITS visited on 20 April 2026, Hon. Commissioner Engr. Ben Osy Okoh deferred the questions to a subordinate, Engr. Dino. Days of follow-up yielded no positive answers, and when the journalist sent reminders, the commissioner called to scold him, misconstruing the follow-up as a threat rather than a request for accountability.
As of the time of this report, neither the commissioner nor his aide has provided official responses. This lack of timely engagement raises concerns about bureaucratic inertia in addressing urgent public safety issues -needless bureaucratic bottle neck that encourages processes to drag on with snail speed while situations degenerate. Though residents seem frustrated but a good number of them, are rather optimistic that the Governor Mbah-led government will act before further tragedies occur.
A COMMUNITY ON THE BRINK?
From the tragic death of a twin to multiple incidents involving children and the elderly, Idaw-River Layout’s College Avenue and Nze Junction have become synonymous with danger and fear. Residents’ vivid accounts paint a chilling picture: roads intended to facilitate mobility now function as unregulated high-speed corridors, turning routine journeys into life-threatening risks.
Master Chigozie Okamkpa, another victim, in his hospital bed
The Idaw River Layout Community is unified in their plea: implement speed bumps, install clear road signage, introduce zebra crossings, and enforce traffic regulations. With schools, churches, and health facilities clustered along these roads, the stakes are too high for inaction. As Hon. Osinachi observed after his daughter’s accident, vigilance and preventive measures are essential. “We have to be careful about the movement of children, especially at night. But government has a role to play too—it must protect its citizens.”
Idaw-River Layout stands at a crossroads, much like the junctions that crisscross its streets. The choices made by authorities in the coming weeks could determine whether these roads remain death traps or become safer avenues for all – pedestrians and motorists. Residents hope their voices will be heard, and that proactive measures will prevent future tragedies on College Avenue and Nze Junction.
