Journalists, Others Injured As 3 Die In Enugu Auto Crash

Three persons have lost their lives in a motor accident at the Onyeama Hills axis of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway.

It was gathered that the accident, which occurred on Saturday, involved several vehicles, including a black Toyota Sienna bus conveying journalists who were reportedly on an official assignment to Igbo-Etiti local government area in Enugu State.

Some of the occupants of the vehicle, including crew members from the African Independent Television (AIT) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Among the affected journalists are NTA reporter and chairman of the NTA Chapel, Chimaroke Ugwu, alongside his cameraman, Jerry; as well as AIT reporter and secretary of the Private Broadcast Chapel, Kelechi Ehirim, and his cameraman, Ifeanyi Ogbodo.

The identities of the deceased were yet to be confirmed at the time of filing this report, but officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police were at the scene conducting rescue operations.

The Onyeama axis of the highway is widely regarded as a high-risk zone due to its steep terrain and frequent accidents.

Reacting to the incident, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Enugu Council, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, sympathised with the members who sustained various degrees of injury and thanked God for saving their lives.

While expressing dismay over the repeated loss of lives at the Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, he called for the speedy completion of the ongoing reconstruction on the road to reduce such incidents.