Bianca Ojukwu, a Nigerian diplomat and the widow of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the late former military governor of the Eastern Region, has shared the specifics of an accident scene she witnessed in Enugu State.
Bianca revealed that the accident occurred on Saturday at the Ugwu Onyeama Enugu Expressway in a post that she posted on her Facebook page on Sunday.A tanker and a passenger-carrying commercial bus were involved in the accident.
Bianca recalled the entire incident, stating, “People had clustered around the scene, and the sight was traumatic. Mangled bodies covered in blood were strewn everywhere.”I had to decide in a split second whether to continue or stop.I called for my drivers to stop when I noticed that one of the victims was moving.
“I approached the scene with my aids, including those in my backup vehicles, and alighted from my vehicle.I was shocked and dismayed to find that the majority of people standing around, who had just parked their cars by the side of the expressway, were simply busy using their cellphones to take pictures and videos of the horrific event.We literally had to fight off many of them to get away from the scene, especially some heartless people who were using their phones to record the agony and groans of the dying against the victims’ faces.
“I noticed that more of the victims were breathing, and we tried unsuccessfully to obtain assistance in transporting the victims to the nearest hospital from motorists who were merely slowing down to observe the horror.They would swerve, peek, and move on.I moved toward the first person I noticed, a woman who appeared to be unconscious but was moving her hand.She could only utter the words “biko, jide m aka” when I approached her and she heard my voice.While the woman next to her, also wearing the same uniform, was groaning in severe pain, I reassured her that everything would be fine.
“I noticed three young men and another lady who were equally scouting for good samaritans to transport survivors to the nearest hospital. No emergency medical response services in sight, not even Road Safety officials.Nobody else appeared to be willing to assist.As they snuck by the bloody scene, some were even attempting to avoid my gaze and my pleas.We loaded several of the victims into our vehicles and drove to the hospital with the three young men.We eventually made it there despite the traffic jam blocking the road.The staff at the hospital jumped into action and fought to save the people who were still breathing.Several were unable to make it.
Credit:Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu’s Facebook page