Bianca Ojukwu, a Nigerian diplomat and widow of former military governor of the Eastern Region, late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu has recounted the details of an accident scene that she witnessed in Enugu State.
Bianca, who shared this via her Facebook page on Sunday, revealed that the accident happened on Saturday at the Ugwu Onyeama Enugu Expressway. The accident involved a tanker and a commercial bus carrying passengers.
Recounting the whole incident, Bianca said, “Mangled bodies covered in blood were strewn everywhere, people had clustered around the scene and the sight was traumatic. I had to make a split second decision whether to move on or to stop. I noticed one of the victims was moving, and requested my drivers to stop.
“I alighted from my vehicle with my aides, including those in my backup vehicles and approached the scene. To my shock and dismay, most of the people standing around there, who just parked their own cars by the side of the expressway were simply busy with their cellphones taking pictures and making videos of the gruesome incident. We literally had to fight many of them away from the scene, especially some heartless souls with their phones held up at point blank against the faces of victims, recording their agony and their dying groans.
“I noticed more of the victims were breathing and we tried to get motorists who were slowing down purely to watch the horror, to help us to transport the victims to the nearest hospital to no avail. They would slow down, peek and pass. I made my way to the victim that first caught my eye, a lady who appeared unconscious but was moving her hand. When I approached her, and she heard my voice, all she could mutter was, ‘biko, jide m aka’ (please hold my hand). I assured her she would be ok, the lady lying beside her, also dressed in the same uniform was groaning in intense pain.
“No emergency medical response services in sight, Not even Road Safety officials, I noticed three young men and another lady who were equally scouting for good samaritans to transport survivors to the nearest hospital. Nobody else seemed willing to help. Some were even trying to avoid my eye and my pleas as they snaked their way past the gory scene. Together with the three young men we lifted several of the victims into our vehicles and headed for the hospital. The road was blocked with traffic but we eventually got there. The hospital staff swung into action and battled to save those that were still breathing. Several did not make it.”