TWENTY students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, were
feared dead in a multiple road accident late on Tuesday, eyewitnesses
said on Wednesday.
Our correspondent learnt that the victims met their deaths on the
Nsukka-9th Mile Expressway while travelling to their homes in a
commercial mass transit bus after the UNN authorities had directed the
students to embark on a compulsory two-week break.
A statement by the university’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Okwun
Omeaku, had directed the students to vacate the school with immediate
effect.
Although the UNN management had described the closure as a
“mid-semester break”, students told our correspondent that the school
was shut to avert an action said to have been planned by the students to
protest the lack of electricity and water in their hostels.
The students had been directed to vacate their hostels before 6:00 pm on Tuesday.
Though the Enugu State Police Command said only three undergraduates
died in the accident, eyewitnesses said no fewer than 20 students of the
UNN perished in the accident.
Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Ebere
Amaraizu, in a statement made available to journalists, said apart from
the three who lost their lives, five other students sustained injuries
in the accident.
Amaraizu said, “Three persons have been confirmed dead while five
others sustained various degrees of injuries. The injured are being
attended to at Our Saviour Hospital, 9th Mile Corner, Ngwo, while the
dead bodies are also deposited at the same hospital mortuary.
“The auto crash involved a diesel truck with registration number AWK
311 XB, which is believed to have lost control as a result of suspected
brake failure and hit two buses with registration numbers UWN 406 XA and
UWN 57 XA and also a motorcycle.”
Before the closure of their school on Tuesday, our correspondent
learnt that the students had planned to embark on a demonstration over
the lack of electricity and water in their hostels.
It was learnt that the planned demonstration was to take place within the week.
A student, who pleaded anonymity, had told our correspondent that
there had been acute water scarcity and zero power supply in their
hostels for a very long time.
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