Celebration turns to mourning: 7 wedding guests die in road accident in popular south south state

• Seven wedding attendees died in a car accident on the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway in Akwa Ibom state
• The collision at the Ukpakiri, Obingwa section involved a Sienna SUV and a sand-loaded 911 truck, which locals attribute to speeding
• Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the incident

Akwa-Ibom state- No fewer than seven individuals returning from a wedding lost their lives in a car accident on the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway.

Additionally, a woman wearing an apron from a well-known Pentecostal church, reportedly heading to a vigil, was struck by a commercial bus on the Aba-Ezumini Road.

Seven people die after a road accident in Akwa-Ibom state Photo credit: Legit.ng
Source: Original

Recall that sometime in 2023, no fewer than five persons died and eleven others sustained injuries of various degrees in a fatal Auto crash which occurred in Akwa-Ibom, as reported by Vanguard.

In this new development, reports indicate that five other passengers in the same Sienna SUV sustained injuries and are currently fighting for their lives in a private hospital.

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The collision, which occurred at the Ukpakiri, Obingwa section of the expressway, involved the Sienna and a 911 truck loaded with sand, The Nation reported.

Some locals attributed the accident to the driver's excessive speed.

The bodies of the victims, including children, teenagers, and adults, have been taken to an undisclosed morgue. This incident marks the second fatal accident on this route within two weeks.

Accident due to bad road says local

The expressway, whose reconstruction was contracted by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPLC), is a key access route in and out of Abia State.

Approved for dualization in October 2021 under the Federal Government’s Road Infrastructure and Refreshment Tax Credit Scheme, funded by the NNPC, the project remains incomplete.

Contractors have finished only part of the work, leaving a substantial section from Ohanze to Opobo junction as a single lane.

A resident, Elder Okezie Nwankerendu criticized the unfinished dualisation project.

He said:

"The road was supposed to be dualized, but it remains a single lane in some sections. This is unacceptable. We need the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure the project's completion to reduce these accidents."

A driver struck a tricycle carrying the woman and other passengers.

The accident severely injured the woman, causing her to lose blood after hitting her head on the road.

Reports indicate that she was rushed to a hospital but died after several hospitals refused to admit her

Those who transported her to the hospital eventually brought her lifeless body back to the scene as there was no way to identify her.

Police public relations officer (PPRO), Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the incident.

Gunmen abduct prominent Akwa Ibom Monarch from palace

In another report, the paramount ruler of the Mbo local government area, HRM Ogwong A Abang, has been kidnapped by gunmen in Akwa Ibom state.

Legit.ng reported that the traditional ruler was abducted from his palace at Ebughu on Saturday night at about 9 pm on, May 18.

Source: Legit.ng