Death so cruel!......What A Pity

Ten of them were going to write the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), but nine never got to their centre in Enugu. They died in an accident at Umunna Village in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. The only survivor, Nelson Chibuike, relives  the accident and his miraculous survival. OLADELE OGE (400-Level Mass Communication) reports..........

THEY were on their way to write the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) when their vehicle veered off the road and sped into the bush. Ten of them were in the bus, but only one survived to write the test, with a heavily bandaged leg and wound on his forehead.

Nelson Chibuike is thanking God for his miraculous survival. The Entanco Transport Company Toyota Hiace bus, which was conveying the candidates to Nsukka from Enugu, crashed at Umunna village in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. Julius Chidi, who drove the ill-fated blue and white 18-seater bus, was among the victims. When CAMPUSLIFE got to the scene, the victims were being removed from the mangled vehicle by rescuers.

Nelson, who was said to be breathing slowly when he was rescued, was taken to Bishop Shannah Hospital, Nsukka. The bodies of others were deposited in the morgue.

The bus left Enugu with 18 passengers, some of who alighted in villages before Umunna Village. The bus’ number-plate could not be seen at the scene because it was damaged.

Nelson, who received palliative treatment to enable him take the test, was brought to the campus with a swollen forehead and bandaged leg.

Accompanied by his mother and brother, Nelson wrote the test last Thursday in a red Toyota car marked Lagos BB 564 FKJ amid tight security by the police and the university’s security personnel. The vehicle was parked in front of the Faculty of Arts’ New Lecture Hall.

In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE after writing the test, Nelson, who wants to study Computer Science, relived the accident. Asked the cause of accident, the injured candidate, who could not talk, responded by writing on a piece of paper.

He wrote: “None of us knew what caused the accident but I knew the bus was on top speed on the narrow road. Maybe the driver lost control, I don’t know but the bus suddenly ran into the bush. I heard many passengers screaming Jesus Christ but that was the end. I lay among the dead passengers for several minutes before I was rescued and taken to the hospital by Good Samaritans.

“I will forever be grateful to God for saving me from untimely death. He redeemed my soul out of nine dead people. I was the only survivor.”

Recalling how he received the news of the accident, Nelson’s brother, Ugochukwu, a post-graduate student of Physics and Astronomy at UNN, said: “At 3:05pm on Tuesday, I got a call from an anonymous caller to report to Bishop Shannah Hospital and identify my family member among dead persons brought into the hospital’s mortuary. I screamed that ‘it won’t be my portion in Jesus name’. I knew Nelson was coming to write exam but I never expected something untoward would happen to him. In faith, I went to the hospital and saw my brother alive.”

Nelson’s mother, Mrs Chibuike, who waited for her son at the central security post of the university, was silent for several minutes before she agreed to speak to CAMPUSLIFE after our correspondent’s prodding.

She said: “My son, there is nobody that will visit the spot where the accident occurred and believe that a goat can survive not to talk of human being. The accident was terrible and I thank God that I did not have cause to bury my child.” She said she reserved her testimony to “the wonders of God” till Sunday in her church.

When CAMPUSLIFE visited the Nsukka branch of Entanco Transport Company, the manager, Mr Benedict Ikeagu, was not around. He was said to have left for Enugu on official assignment.

But an official, who spoke to our correspondent, said there was no passenger’s manifest available to contact the families of the victims. The source said the driver’s body had been moved to UNN Teaching Hospital. The late Julius Chidi, who got married last year, had a six-month old baby.