A devastating road accident on Sunday night at Ukpo Junction along the Nteje-Awka Road in Anambra State has left eight people dead and six others battling for their lives, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed on Monday.
The Sector Commander of FRSC in Anambra, Mrs. Joyce Alexander, disclosed the grim details of the incident to journalists in Awka, painting a harrowing picture of the carnage caused by the crash.
According to Alexander, the collision involved a Mack tanker with no registration number and a Toyota Hiace bus bearing registration number EKP375XM. Preliminary investigations and eyewitness accounts revealed that the ill-fated bus, which was en route from Abakaliki to Onitsha, attempted a dangerous overtaking maneuver at high speed before slamming head-on into the oncoming tanker travelling towards Awka.
“It was a classic case of reckless driving. The bus was speeding and overtook recklessly on a narrow stretch of the single carriageway before the collision occurred,” Alexander said, quoting findings from the scene.
The crash resulted in the immediate deaths of eight passengers—four males and four females—whose lives were abruptly cut short in the wreckage. Six other passengers—two males and four females—sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed by FRSC rescue teams to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.
The bodies of the deceased were deposited at Jerusalem Mortuary in Nteje following official confirmation of death by a medical doctor.
In a show of compassion and responsibility, the Sector Commander visited the surviving victims at Regina Caeli Hospital and the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka, to assess their recovery progress and offer words of encouragement.
This latest accident adds to the growing toll of fatalities on Nigerian highways, sparking renewed calls for road safety awareness. The FRSC has reiterated its warning to drivers to shun excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, particularly on single carriageways notorious for high collision rates.
“The loss of eight lives in one crash is not just a statistic; it’s a call to every motorist to rethink how they drive. We must all take responsibility to make our roads safer,” Alexander stated.
The Anambra State government, meanwhile, is expected to respond with stricter enforcement of traffic regulations as public outrage grows over avoidable road deaths. As investigations continue, authorities have urged all road users to remain vigilant, cautious, and law-abiding.
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