On the night of October 24, 2024, a joyful trip to reunite old friends from Command Secondary School Abakaliki (CSSA) for their 40th anniversary turned into a macabre nightmare when a chartered bus from PKO Transport and Logistics, Yaba, carrying 15 alumni from the Lagos chapter, collided with rock debris and caught fire just eight minutes before arriving at their hotel in Ebonyi State.

The tragic accident, which occurred near the G-hostel junction on the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway, claimed the lives of seven passengers, five of whom were burnt beyond recognition. Several others suffered severe injuries that will have long-term consequences and trauma.

Mr. Chuks, the bus driver, reportedly abandoned his 15 passengers trapped inside the bus but later returned to save his phone as the fire continued to engulf the vehicle.

The Incident
One of the injured survivors, Deborah Chinyere, told The Guardian that the event was “ugly.” She recounted that the driver was unfamiliar with the route, so she and a fellow passenger, Victory Onah, used Google Maps to help with directions, but unfortunately, a turn was missed.

“Victory got distracted and forgot to tell the driver to take a left turn that would have led us straight to the hotel, where the event was holding,” Chinyere said.

When the missed turn was communicated to the driver, Chinyere claimed that the driver “flared up and became angry, and he was not concentrating, asking why we had not told him in time.” Despite attempts to reassure the driver that they were still on track and not to panic, Chinyere claimed that the driver was “still angry” and began “driving recklessly.”

“So that was where the whole thing started. Because of his anger, he couldn’t drive carefully. He started driving so, you know, recklessly,” she stated.

“He was just so pissed; I knew this because I was sitting directly at his back, so I could read his countenance.”

As the situation worsened, Chinyere noted that the driver reportedly accelerated the speed to around 120 to 130 kilometres, which led to the bus colliding with road construction debris filled with rocks on the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway—an area that reportedly lacked appropriate warning signs about road conditions.

According to Chinyere, the impact ruptured the fuel tank, causing the bus to catch fire almost immediately. “It started with the smoke, and then within some seconds, fire came out from different angles, from the back, from the front, everywhere,” she said.

The fire claimed the lives of five passengers who were burnt beyond recognition at the scene, while two others later succumbed to their injuries at the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki. The tragedy has left several survivors with severe burns, fractures, and emotional scars that will last for years.

Other survivors, who spoke exclusively to The Guardian, recounted traumatic moments of fear, confusion, and disbelief, describing how the bus driver, Mr. Chuks, abandoned them as the vehicle caught fire but later returned only to retrieve his phone, leaving many trapped inside.

Fight for Survival
One of the survivors, Mercy Egbele, described the panic and struggle to escape as the fire spread quickly through the bus. “I remember the two men sitting beside me desperately trying to open the door,” she told The Guardian. “But the door wouldn’t open. The only other way out was the driver’s seat, but it was already blocked by people trying to escape.”

Egbele, who had been seated near the middle of the bus, was one of the few to make it out alive. “I was the only one who managed to squeeze through the window behind the driver, thanks to my small frame,” she explained.

But the escape came at a cost—Mercy sustained serious injuries, including burns to her right arm, fractures to her left wrist and joints, and additional burns on her forehead and back.

For Janet Adebayo, the experience was a blur of terror. “It was only eight minutes to our hotel when the bus hit a big ditch. We bounced several times; before we could say Jesus is Lord, we saw fire by our window side, and I couldn’t see anything after that,” Adebayo said.

Adebayo, who struggled to recall the details of her escape, attributed her survival to divine intervention. “It was only God, because till now I don’t know how I escaped. I just saw myself on the ground,” she said.

She added that the driver made no attempt to help the passengers. “It was someone from the front of the bus who managed to open the driver’s door. That’s how I got out.”

Adebayo, who suffered burns to her left hand, ears, nose, and forehead, also noted a sudden rise in her blood pressure following the incident. “I am still in shock, but I am thankful to be alive,” she said.

Agnes Dada told The Guardian that she was excited to see her friends and fellow commandos (a term used to refer to graduates from the school).

Dada recalled that the incident was “frightening beyond words” the moment the fire started, as the bus swerved and crashed into the debris. “The driver ran into rocks, and we heard a loud noise. Then, the person behind me shouted, ‘Fire!’ I was terrified,” Dada recalled. “I tried to open the door from my seat, but it wouldn’t budge. That’s when I started calling on the name of Jesus.”

Dada, who was seated behind the driver, said her instinct, which she attributed to God, told her to find her way out through the driver’s side of the bus.

She said, “I moved towards the driver’s side of the bus because I noticed there seemed to be a way out from there. Whether I jumped out or flew, I don’t know. I just landed on the road by the burning bus, and my instinct again (which I still say it’s the voice of God) told me to leave the floor or else I’d get burnt by the fire or the bus exploding. I stood up in pain, not knowing I had already been burnt on my face and right fingers. I moved away to the other side and saw vividly the extent of the fire, hoping all was safe but, unfortunately, not.”

Agnes sustained burns to her right ear, face, and fingers but was thankful to be alive. “It’s all by God’s grace. I don’t know how I made it out.”

For the Onyema twins, one of them, Onyema Faith Chizara, told The Guardian that the emotional toll of the tragedy has been overwhelming. “I am still physically, mentally, and emotionally unstable since the accident happened. I think of the accident every day that passes by. I have totally lost focus on anything and haven’t been able to go about with my day-to-day activities.”

Faith, who was seated near the front of the bus, was reluctant to recall the incident. “I don’t like to remember those moments of the accident because it’s an ugly moment and so terrifying.”

Her twin sister, Deborah Chinyere Onyema, who suffered a severe burn on her waist, said she keeps thinking about “how the driver didn’t even open the exits for everyone to escape,” adding that his careless attitude cost lives, and the government’s failure to put up caution signs added to the tragedy.

She recounted that during the accident, she felt “helpless, sad, and scared,” and afterwards, “my anxiety became unbearable.”

With her severe burn, Deborah, like others, is struggling emotionally. “Since the accident, I’ve been emotionally and mentally unstable, and I’ve lost my productivity. I had tasks I planned to resume immediately after the occasion, but the mental stress from the incident has kept me on pause.”

Deborah explained how she and other survivors escaped. “My twin sister managed to escape quickly because she was seated in the front, just left of the driver. After getting out, she bent her seat and opened the driver’s door, which is where I and most survivors escaped from,” she said.

Mrs Chioma Iguodala, another survivor, shared that the crash has left her struggling with severe emotional and psychological distress. “I have been having a lot of mood swings, and sometimes I cry, and sometimes I find it difficult to cry,” she said. “It has affected me a lot.”

Mrs Iguodala recalled the moments leading up to the crash, which she described as “utter chaos.” “When the driver increased his speed and ran into an abandoned bad stop on the road with big stones (no warning signs left by the contractor), the bus jumped and landed, and the driver shouted fire and stopped the vehicle. He came out of the bus and ran away, came back, took his phone, and closed the door. He didn’t open the door for all the passengers to come down,” she recounted.

“The trauma I experienced was serious. I couldn’t talk, speak or recognize anybody for four hours after the bus explosion when I was rescued by friends.”

Chioma also revealed that the accident has disrupted her daily life. “I can’t sleep at night. The sound of loud noises makes me jump, and my blood pressure is high. I’m on medication for it, but I don’t know when I’ll feel normal again,” she said. “It’s like I’m in a constant state of shock. I’ve been managing, but every day is a struggle.”

Friends Lost Forever
The tragedy claimed the lives of five friends at the scene who were burnt beyond recognition, while two others passed away later in the hospital, bringing the total death toll to seven.

Among the victims were Victoria Adolphus, Favour Orji (both from the Class of 2012), Chiagozie Okafor, Akachukwu Omenaku (both from the Class of 2000), Ntomchukwu Izunobi (Class of 1997), Bonaventure Usani, and Patricia Atuaonkh (both from the Class of 1992).

Many of the deceased were parents, including single mothers and fathers, leaving behind children now without their care. The Guardian reached out to the families of the deceased to hear about the impact of the tragedy. However, some of the families declined to comment on the incident. Initially, a brother of one of the deceased had agreed to share his experience but later withdrew, citing the immense trauma caused by the loss.

But some of the survivors who were close to the deceased shared memories, describing some of them as pillars of the CSSA Lagos Chapter, people who had touched their lives in immeasurable ways.
“It has not been easy; I see their faces every day; I knew all of them,” said Mrs. Iguodala, a close friend of several of the victims. “I remember Chiagozie buying me lunch at Ore and telling me that he was going to take care of me since my husband couldn’t follow us on the bus. I also knew Sister Patricia, who was my husband’s school mother.”

Two of the victims, Favour Orji and Amarachi Adolphus, were particularly close to Faith, whom she described as loving and cheerful, as they had been housemates at CSSA.

“May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace,” Faith shared. “Amarachi Adolphus was my housemate and also my neighbouring roommate in the dormitory,” and Favour Orji was also my housemate. They were very loving, cheerful people; I wish their lives didn’t end the way it did.”

Deborah shared, “The loss is immense; many of the victims were single parents, widows, and fathers. There’s no one left to care for some of their children… One was our treasurer, another a comedian who made us laugh at meetings. They were all jolly good fellows. Our last memory together was sharing breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the bus before the accident. I miss them deeply. May their souls rest in peace.”

A call for justice
“To my greatest surprise, no information whatsoever. This goes to show the lack of concern for lives,” Agnes Dada said. “There is a saying and belief that no one gets justice in Nigeria and that the government (all those in power) only cares about themselves. I hope this changes in this case.”

The Commandant General (CG) of Command Secondary School Alumni, Theodore Chukwu, disclosed that the bus driver ran to Nnewi before making his way to Lagos but later resurfaced with the general manager of PKO Logistics and Transport, the company that operated the bus.

Still mourning the loss of their friends, the alumni group is demanding accountability from both the Ebonyi State government and the transport company. Chukwu and other members of the alumni group are seeking compensation for the families of the deceased, as well as the survivors who are still struggling with physical and psychological trauma.

Chukwu noted, “The alumni want compensation for the families of the dead commandos from the state government for not deploying the right safety measures around construction sites and also the transport company. The compensation should also cover the survivors who are currently undergoing psychological therapy.”

Chukwu added that the transport company had met with some of the alumni on Thursday, November 7, 2024, to discuss the matter further. However, the Ebonyi State government has yet to engage with the group.

“We learnt that the bus ran over debris left by the construction company. The alumni are yet to get an audience with the state government,” Chukwu said.

When The Guardian contacted Esiagu Marcel Eze, General Manager, PKO Logistics and Transport, he confirmed that the driver had been arrested and that the case was being handled by the state traffic office in Abakaliki.

But Eze was reluctant to provide further details, saying “the driver is with the police; actually,

I am not happy that this incident happened. No sane person would be happy about it but I wouldn’t want to say anything now until the police have conducted their investigation.”

He also said the transport company was working on compensating the families of the deceased. “We are working seriously towards compensating the deceased because when the incident happened, people began to call my phone to threaten but we have not discovered the actual person to meet for any form of settlement.”

Meanwhile, state police spokesperson, ASP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed to The Guardian that the driver had been arrested and an investigation is ongoing.

“We are doing what is expected of us and once the investigation is concluded, the driver will be charged to court.” Ukandu said.