A tragic road accident on Wednesday, January 22, 2024, claimed the life of an unidentified prospective female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ebonyi State.
The incident occurred in the Amenu community of Okposi, along the Amasiri-Okigwe route, as a 14-seater Enugu North Mass Transit bus, conveying 12 prospective corps members to the NYSC orientation camp in Afikpo, rammed into a stationary truck. The victims were headed to the three-week orientation course for the 2024 Batch C Stream II.
Eyewitnesses reported that the deceased succumbed to her injuries at the scene, while her colleagues and other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries. They were rushed to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, where they are currently receiving treatment.
A source at the hospital confirmed the arrival of the victims. “They were brought in by security officials in the evening, and they are responding to treatment,” the source said.
The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Igwe Henry, also confirmed the incident. He explained that FRSC officers from the Amasiri Unit Command arrived after the victims had already been rescued by residents.
“Preliminary findings suggest that excessive speed on the part of the bus driver may have caused the accident. The crash involved a Toyota commercial bus and a parked Mercedes-Benz truck. The victims were taken to King David’s Hospital, where they are reported to be in stable condition,” Henry said.
Items recovered from the scene are in the custody of a local community leader, Chief Amos, according to the FRSC official.
The Ebonyi State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Foluke Oladeinde, confirmed the incident but declined to provide further details, stating, “I’m not in the right frame of mind to talk now. Yes, the accident occurred, but I can’t talk right now.”
This tragic incident underscores the need for improved road safety measures to protect lives, particularly those of corps members and other road users.
