Child Dies in Aba Road Collision

A horrific road traffic accident in the Osisioma Umuimo area of Aba, Abia State, tragically claimed the life of a young female child on Saturday. The collision, which occurred near the Kentus Filling Station, involved three vehicles: a Lexus 330 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), a commercial tricycle (popularly known as keke), and a large goods-carrying truck.

The sequence of events leading to the fatal crash was recounted by an eyewitness, Mr. Igwe Nwoke, a transporter in the area. According to Nwoke, the heavily loaded tricycle, which was ferrying passengers, was in motion when its driver took evasive action to avoid an oncoming long truck. In a sudden maneuver, the keke veered and crashed directly into the Lexus 330 SUV. The impact was immediate and severe, resulting in serious injuries to several passengers, including the young child who was rendered unconscious at the scene.

Mr. Nwoke expressed profound regret over the incident, attributing the recurring accidents on that stretch of road to persistent recklessness and a lack of caution among commercial drivers. His observation highlights a major and ongoing safety concern on Nigerian highways, where the actions of one driver can have devastating consequences for others.

Confirming the details of the tragedy, the Sector Commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Abia State, Ngozi Ezeoma, officially stated that one female child was the fatality in the multi-vehicle crash. “One female child died. The crash happened at Osisioma Umuimo by Kentus Filling Station, involving a Lexus Jeep 330 and keke,” Ezeoma clarified on Monday, providing official confirmation of the accident’s location and the vehicles involved.

While the number of injured adults remains unconfirmed in the FRSC statement, the account of the witness, mentioning that “some of the passengers were seriously injured,” suggests that the child’s death was not the only adverse outcome of the collision. This tragic loss serves as a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the vulnerability of commuters, particularly children, to the dangers posed by aggressive driving and the ever-present risk of mechanical failure on major road arteries like the one in Osisioma, Aba. Authorities are expected to investigate the exact roles played by the drivers of the three vehicles to determine accountability for the fatal crash.