A female prospective member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) tragically lost her life in a road accident on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, in Amenu community, Okposi, Ebonyi State.
The fatal crash occurred while the deceased, along with 11 other prospective corps members, were traveling from Enugu to the NYSC orientation camp in Afikpo. They were part of the 2024 Batch C Stream II set, commencing their three-week orientation program that day.
The 14-seater bus carrying the group collided with a parked truck on the roadside. The impact of the accident resulted in the female corps member succumbing to her injuries, while her fellow travelers sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Local residents swiftly intervened, rescuing the injured and transporting them to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS) in Uburu for immediate medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Igwe Henry, stated that his officers arrived at the scene after the victims had already been rescued by bystanders.
“At the time our men from Amasiri Unit Command got the information and arrived at the scene, the victims had already been rescued,” he explained.
Mr. Henry further elaborated, “The crash occurred on 22nd January at about 14:00 hours. The route was Amasiri-Okigwe, at a place called Amenu village in Okposi. Two vehicles were involved: one was a Toyota commercial bus, grey in colour, and the other was a Mercedes-Benz tipper (truck).”
Preliminary investigations suggest that excessive speed on the part of the commercial bus may have contributed to the accident.
“From preliminary findings, the crash may have been caused by excessive speed on the part of the commercial vehicle, which was the bus,” Mr. Henry stated.
While the exact number of injured individuals remains unclear due to the swift response of bystanders, Mr. Henry confirmed that those observed at King David’s Hospital were in stable condition.
