Enugu, Nigeria — A devastating tanker fire along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in the Ugwu Onyeama area tragically claimed the lives of 11 members of a single family from the Abofia-Agbaja community in Ebonyi, local sources confirmed. The accident occurred around 11 a.m. on Saturday, sparking a massive explosion and fire after a tanker truck lost control on a hilly stretch of the road and collided with several vehicles.
Family spokesperson, Mr. Ikechukwu Nwaji, grief-stricken and tearful, recounted that his brother, Mr. Jeremiah Nwaji, was driving his family in a Sienna minivan to their ancestral village for their father’s funeral when their vehicle was caught in the fiery blast. The crash resulted in the immediate death of Jeremiah, his wife, their six children, his brother, and two household workers.
Jeremiah Nwaji, the family’s sole breadwinner, was transporting his family from Onitsha in Anambra State, where they had been living, to Ebonyi State. They were planning to attend the burial ceremony, scheduled for the following Friday. Now in stark mourning, the family’s loss magnifies as they were left to grieve without the final farewell to their patriarch originally planned.
During the calamity, the tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit, better known as gasoline, became a catalyst for a broader discussion about transit policies and public safety in Nigeria. The recent accident echoes earlier incidents, prompting urgent calls for policy reexamination concerning the movement of fuel tankers in the country. Victims’ families, including Nwaji’s, pleaded with national authorities to revert to previous regulations that restricted tanker movement to nighttime hours, aiming to avoid such devastating incidents during busier daytime traffic.
“The policy change might prevent other families from suffering such heartbreaking losses,” said Mr. Nwaji, who pointed out that such measures are already in practice in more developed nations and could potentially save lives in Nigeria as well.
In personal tributes, victims’ relatives depicted Jeremiah Nwaji as a pillar of strength and support. Mrs. Chiamaka Onyibe, a bereaved widow in the family, shared that Nwaji had benevolently supported her children’s education after her husband’s demise, illustrating the impactful loss of their family’s main support system.
Further extending the tragedy’s impact, local media reported that Jeremiah was an alumnus of Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, connecting the grief to broader political and community networks.
As the community reels from the tragedy, there is a palpable plea for substantial policy shifts concerning road safety and hazardous cargo transportation. This incident stands as a stark reminder of the potential hazards associated with road tanker operations, stirring discussions about infrastructure, regulation, and the imperative for stringent safety protocols in Nigeria’s transport sector. The hope is to foster a safer transit environment, sparing more families the unbearable agony experienced by the Nwajis.