By Magnus Aluma
A prospective member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Tuesday lost her life in a ghastly motor accident that occurred in Ebonyi State, Southeast of Nigeria.
NewsBits gathered that the deceased was among a group of 12 prospective corps members who boarded in a 14-seater bus involved in the accident. Sources close to the scene of the incident disclosed that the corps members boarded the bus in Enugu, enroute the NYSC orientation camp in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for their three weeks oriental course.
The prospective Corps members were believed to be among the 2024 Batch C Stream II set, who resumed camp same day. The bus which belongs to the Enugu North Mass Transit, was said to have rammed into a parked truck beside the road.
The female corps member, whose name could not be ascertained, was said to have died from her injuries while her colleagues and other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“They were rescued by residents and security agencies from the mangled bus and rushed to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS) where they are receiving treatment,” a source said.
According to the source, “Corps members had an accident while going to NYSC camp. The accident happened at Amenu community in Okposi. A female corps member died. The bus is a 14-seater bus with 12 of them being corps members. Others sustained injuries.”
The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Henry Igwe who confirmed the incident, said he has no details of the casualties as the victims were rescued before his officers got to the scene.
He said: “At the time our men from Amasiri Unit Command got the information, and went to the scene, the victims had been rescued. They didn’t directly carry out the rescue, and therefore could not ascertain specifics of what happened.”
He also said, “however, the crash occurred on 22nd January about 14.00 hours.The route was Amasiri-Okigwe, where they call Amenu village in Okposi. Two vehicles were involved, one was a Toyota commercial bus, grey in color, and the other was a Mercedes-Benz tipper (truck), the regular Tipper that you see around.”
“So, from preliminary findings, it may have been caused by excessive speed on the part of the commercial vehicle, that is the bus. But the details as to the number of persons injured and so on have not been ascertained, because like I said, the victims were actually rescued by bystanders and then taken to David Umahi Hospital in Uburu.
“And then the items recovered at the scene, I understand, is in the custody of one Chief Amos, of Amenu village in the same Okposi. At the King David’s Hospital, where my men went, the ones they saw were actually in stable condition,” he explained.
Confirming the accident, Ebonyi State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Foluke Oladeinde could not give further details. She said: “I am not in the right frame of mind to talk now. I am in the hospital now. Yes, the accident occurred but I can’t talk right now.”
