Many passengers were feared dead at a security checkpoint at the Lokpanta axis of the Enugu Port Harcourt Expressway on Thursday morning.
An 18-seater bus was said to have been on the queue at the checkpoint when a trailer allegedly lost control and rammed into it, killing some of the passengers and injuring others.
According to an eyewitness, the bus was waiting to be cleared by security agents at the checkpoint when he incident occured.
Angered by the sad development and the action of the security agents, drivers and commuters were said to have blocked the highway in protest.
The protesters insisted that they would not vacate the road until the security operatives that mounted the roadblock were produced.
Meanwhile, Gov. Alex Otti has ordered an investigation into the tragedy to find out if there were any professional misconduct.
Otti who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said that anyone found culpable must be brought to justice.
He, however, said that his immediate concern was how to get immediate treatment for the injured passengers and clear the highway for free flow of traffic.
” Our interest as a government is to ensure that those who were injured are properly taken care of.
” Of course proper investigation must be conducted to find out if there were any professional misconduct. And those who are culpable will be punished. Government and the police authorities will come hard on anyone involved in the cause of the accident.”
He, however, gave the casualty figure at three as at the time he spoke with the relevant authorities.
He further said that efforts were on to clear the road and restore order at the scene.
” I was told that the Mayor of Umunneochi has brought in crane to remove the trailer and that the road which was completely blocked has been cleared for easy movement of vehicles”.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the police were not successful as at the time of filing this report.
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Moureen Chinaka, when contacted, told our Correspondent that the information being sought was already posted on a Police/media WhatsApp group but several checks on the platform did not indicate such.
The last post on the platform was by 9:00pm on Tuesday but she insisted that the information on the accident was on the platform when reminded again. (Vanguard)