Tears As Truck Smashes Shuttle Bus, Tricycles In Ogbaru Near Onitsha 

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

It was a festival of tears and blood at Obodoukwu road opposite elephant house in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra state as a container truck lost its control trying to manoeuvre a gigantic pothole and fell down, crushing a shuttle bus, two tricycles and several others.

While some hoodlums were spotted  carting away items from the ill-fated vehicle, others were screaming for help, attributing the disaster to the deplorable condition of roads in the area.

An eyewitness who was also spotted recording a video of the accident scene with her andriod phone, said it was the second time they witnessed such fatality on the same spot due to the poor condition of the road.

Although she declined revealing her identity she decried the number of lives lost on the said bad portion of Obodoukwu road, noting that it was time government responded to the plight of the people in the area.

When further interrogated on why she was doing a video of the ugly incident, she said it was important that the world knew their ordeals; alleging that they lacked roads in the area and that she intended to send the video to facebook and some other social media platforms for people to feel their pains and prevail on the powers that be to alleviate their sufferings.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Ogbaru one state constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly Hon. Chukwunonso Noble Igwe who spoke on the ugly incident, said Obodoukwu road was part of his constituency and that the road was completely dilapidated.

Igwe said, “I have continued to beg His Excellency to come to the help of my people. Obodoukwu road has become impassable. On daily basis, 911, trailers and containers continue to fall on top of tricycles killing our people.

“We are going through hell. We need the help of this government. If not total reconstruction, they should come and do some palliatives on the road so that it can at least be motorable. This is the only road that links us to other parts of the state. Obodoukwu road is the only road that can connect the entire constituency.

“Our people on daily basis go through nightmares if they want to pass through the road. Worst still is that Obodoukwu road is not up to ten kilometers but it is in a very bad condition. We are not asking for water or other thing but just this Obodoukwu road is what we are asking government to come and do for us.”

The lawmaker whose speech was ladened with tears, noted further that on daily basis, people lost their lives on Obodoukwu road due to the bad state of the road, stressing that the container-ladened truck which fell on tricycles, killed the passengers on the spot due to the bad portion of the road which caused the accident.

He said his constituency had been totally neglected and that there was no government presence in Ogbaru one state constituency even though he stated that he had moved motions calling on the governor to come and assist his constituents but expressed worry that help was not yet in sight.

Apart from the deplorable conditions of roads in Ogbaru one constituency, the lawmaker also revealed that they had challenges with drainage system in the area. Although he commended the state governor for having flagged off the dredging of the Sacamori in the area, he expressed deep concern that whenever it rained, the entire constituency was flooded and water entered into peoples’ homes destroying lives and properties.