Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has promised to offer support to victims of a road accident along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway in Enugu State.
In a statement on Monday by his Media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Mr Otti said he received with sadness a report that 15 people died in the accident.
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The governor said the accident involved some Umuahia-based traders who travelled to Enugu for a traditional wedding ceremony, but unfortunately lost their lives in the crash.
When and how it happened
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the accident occurred on Saturday night near the gate of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Enugu State.
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A witness, Marvellous Ochiegbu, told this newspaper on Tuesday that the accident occurred when a coaster bus heading to Umuahia collided with an oncoming trailer laden with crates of beer.
Mr Ochiegbu said he observed that the coaster driver was driving against traffic, which caused the collision.
“The coaster bus collided with the trailer carrying the drinks,” he said.
The witness said that, although he is unsure of the exact figure, the casualty figure must have been higher than 15, considering the number of travellers in the coaster bus during the accident.
“The coaster bus was carrying 28 passengers,” he said.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Enugu State, Frank Agbakoba, did not respond to calls made on his mobile phone between Monday and Tuesday.
Otti’s promise of support
Mr Otti, according to the statement, regretted that the accident occurred in an area where the state government could not render any emergency assistance to the victims.
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The governor, however, said after gathering information about the accident, he has directed the state commissioner for poverty alleviation and social protection to quickly contact the families of both the deceased and the survivors to render support.
He appealed to drivers to always observe road safety rules and desist from speeding or driving against traffic to reduce the frequency of road crashes.
Mr Otti commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones in the accident and prayed to God to grant their souls eternal repose.
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