Five killed, 18 injured in fatal Enugu crash

Five people have been confirmed dead, while 28 others sustained injuries in a multi-vehicle crash at the Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in Enugu.

The** Federal Road Safety Corps** (FRSC) confirmed the incident, which occurred near the Liquefied Natural Gas Plant at Ugwu Onyeama around 3:18 p.m. on Thursday.

FRSC Route Commander Theophilus Okoduwa confirmed the incident to reporters in Enugu on Friday.

Mr Okoduwa said 25 people were involved in the accident, comprising 13 males and 12 females.

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He stated that 18 victims—seven males and 11 females—suffered injuries, while four males and one female lost their lives in the crash.

The official mentioned the vehicles involved were a Dongfeng trailer, a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus, and a Honda car.

Mr Okoduwa said FRSC personnel arrived at the scene within nine minutes of the report to the sector command at about 3:25 p.m.

He reported that the injured victims were evacuated to the nearby Tex Hospital at Ninth Mile Corner for urgent medical attention, and the bodies of the five deceased were taken to the Ekochin morgue in the area after being declared dead by medical doctors.

The FRSC officer added that traffic was diverted while efforts continued to clear debris from the wreckage.

He stated that preliminary investigations suggested that the crash might have been triggered by wrongful overtaking and speeding.

Frequent accidents on the motorway

There have been recurrent road crashes along the Ugwu Onyeama section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway over recent years.

Many attribute the frequent accidents in the area to the poor condition of one of the road lanes.

Several have been killed, and many others have been injured in these crashes.

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In June this year, for example, at least three people were killed, and property worth ₦900 million was destroyed when a Dangote truck loaded with bags of cement collided with a tanker transporting Liquefied Natural Gas at the Ugwu Onyeama axis.

In January 2025, many people lost their lives, and others were injured when a petrol tanker exploded at the Ugwu Onyeama section.

The FRSC later confirmed that 18 people had died in the incident.

In response, President Bola Tinubu directed the FRSC and other agencies responsible for enforcing traffic regulations to implement measures to prevent recurrent petrol tanker explosions across Nigeria.

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