By Sophia Afolabi
At least 12 persons, including four children, have been confirmed dead following a horrific collision between a gas tanker and a commuter bus along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway in Imo State.
It was gathered that the fatal incident occurred when the gas-laden tanker, bearing registration number T 16716 LA and branded with the NUPENG (Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers) insignia, reportedly drove against traffic and crashed head-on into a bus carrying worshippers.
The Imo State Police Command, in a statement released by its spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said the commuter bus was transporting members of the Jehovah’s Witness Church from Anambra State to Agwa village in Oguta Local Government Area for a religious programme.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as “gory” and “chaotic,” with mangled bodies, screams of survivors, and relatives wailing as they rushed to the site upon hearing of the crash.
“Eight adults and four children lost their lives instantly, while eight others sustained serious injuries. The deceased have been deposited at Ogbaku Mortuary, and the injured are receiving treatment at Divine Hospital, Awo-Omamma,” Okoye confirmed.
Emergency responders from the Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and local volunteers battled to clear the wreckage and restore traffic flow after the crash brought movement on the busy expressway to a halt for hours.
Police authorities say an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the reckless driving, particularly why the tanker was driving against the flow of traffic—a practice that has become alarmingly frequent among truck drivers on Nigerian highways.
Locals told Newsmen that the driver of the tanker allegedly fled the scene immediately after the crash and is yet to be apprehended.
This latest tragedy adds to the growing list of fatal accidents on the Owerri-Onitsha expressway, a route notorious for poor enforcement of traffic laws, deteriorating road conditions, and reckless behaviour by drivers of heavy-duty vehicles.
Safety experts and civil society groups have renewed calls for the Nigerian government and road safety agencies to clamp down on errant drivers and implement stricter monitoring of articulated trucks, especially those transporting hazardous materials.
As families mourn the dead, many are asking whether more lives must be lost before the authorities act decisively to prevent what critics describe as “avoidable and state-enabled carnage” on Nigerian roads.
