A 35-year-old driver of a Mack truck, Mr. Amaechi Chucks Nwankwo, has been arrested by the Abia State Police Command after he lost control of his vehicle and crushed a bus conveying passengers at Lekwesi Umuchieze in Umunneochi LGA of the state on Thursday.
The arrest was disclosed by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka, who said that two passengers died on the spot while one of those rushed to the hospital was confirmed dead, taking the official death toll to three.
The PPRO said, “On 15/05/2024 at about 22:30hrs, the Isuochi Police Divisional Headquarters received a report of a fatal motor accident along Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, near Lekwesi Umuchieze in Umunneochi LGA of Abia State.
“Investigation into the incident revealed that at about 19:45hrs, a Mack truck with registration number KGE 22, driven by Amaechi Chucks Nwankwo, a 35-year-old male from Obowo, Imo State, lost control while descending a slope at the aforementioned location and destroyed two military barricades which he wanted to use as a wedge to stop the truck.
He eventually got to the third, which is the police checkpoint at that location, but collided with a stationary bus, resulting in the death of two passengers and injuring five others.
“The injured victims were taken to Christ the King Hospital at Ngodo Isuochi. Sadly, one of the injured persons, whose identity is yet to be known, was confirmed dead.”
The police said the corpses of the dead passengers have been deposited in the mortuary, noting that the patients who were admitted have been discharged.
“The accident vehicle has been pulled out of the ditch and the driver is in our custody. Normalcy has been restored to the area, but monitoring efforts continue as the investigation is ongoing,” the statement concluded.