At least one person, a prospective member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was killed in an accident in Ebonyi on Wednesday.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, 11 other prospective corps members, along with additional passengers, were injured in the accident.
The passengers were traveling in a 14-seater bus owned by Enugu North Mass Transit when it crashed into a parked truck by the side of the road, resulting in the fatality and injuries.
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Local residents reported that the prospective corps members had boarded the bus in Enugu on Wednesday and were en route to the NYSC orientation camp in Afikpo, Afikpo Local Government Area, for their three-week orientation program.
The victims are believed to be part of the 2024 Batch C Stream II set of corps members who began their camp on Wednesday.
The female corps member, whose identity has not been confirmed, reportedly died from her injuries, while the other passengers sustained various injuries.
The survivors were rescued by witnesses and security personnel and were transported to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS) for treatment.
“Corps members had accident while going to NYSC camp. The accident happened at Amenu community in Okposi. A female corps member died,” one witness said.
“The bus is a 14 seater bus with 12 of them being corps members. Others sustained injuries.”
A source at the hospital confirmed that the victims were brought to the hospital.
“Yes I saw them in the evening. They were brought by security officials. They are responding to treatment,” the hospital official said, asking not to be named as he has no permission to talk to journalists.
The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Igwe Henry, confirmed the accident.
However, he stated that he did not have information on the casualties, as the victims had already been rescued before his officers arrived at the scene.
“At the time our men from Amasiri Unit Command got the information, and got 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.
“However, the crash occurred on 22nd January, at about 14.00 hours. The route was Amasiri-Okiigwe, where they call Amenu village in Okposi.
“Two vehicles were involved, one was a Toyota commercial bus, grey color, and the other was a Mercedes-Benz tipper (truck), a commercial Mercedes-Benz tipper, the regular tipper that you see around.”
Mr Henry stated that their preliminary findings indicate that the accident may have been caused by excessive speed by the bus driver.
“But the details as to the number 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, are in the custody of one Chief Amos, of Amenu village in the same Oposi.
“At the King David’s Hospital, where my men went, the ones they saw were actually in stable condition,” he said.
The Ebonyi State Coordinator of NYSC, Foluke Oladeinde, also confirmed the accident.
Still visibly shaken, Mrs. Oladeinde was able to confirm the incident but did not provide additional details.
“I am not in a right frame of mind to talk now. I am in the hospital now. Yes the accident occurred but I can’t talk right now,” she said.
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