Bus crushes Okpara varsity student to death in Abia

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—A FIRST year diploma student of Computer Science at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, was on Monday crushed to death by a bus belonging to the fleet of Akwa Ibom State Transport Corporation, AKTC, in front of the university gate. The student, simply identified as Cynthia, was said to have died on the spot, prompting the students to burn the vehicle that killed her.

The driver was lucky to be alive as the students were said to have accepted the appeal of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hillary Edeoga, who intervened in time to save the driver’s life. The body of the slain student has since been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Umuahia. Public Relations Officer of the university, Mrs. Onyinye Ralph-Nwachukwu, confirmed the incident and regretted the death of the student.

 The angry students were said to have descended on the bus when they realized that their colleague was dead, especially when it was said that the drivers attached to the Akwa Ibom Transport Corporation had been warned severally to slow down whenever they approached the school gate located on the busy Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene-Uyo- Calabar narrow road. When Vanguard visited the university yesterday, it was observed that the burnt vehicle had been removed and students going about their normal academic activities. Vanguard observed that drivers of the Akwa Ibom Company drive very recklessly, despite the poor condition of the road.

A resident said: “Drivers of this company are notorious with reckless driving. One wonders if they have value for human beings. You can never see them drive like normal drivers. “They don’t mind the condition of the roads they ply. When they approach this gate they hardly slow down despite the warning. Now see this one wasted the life of this young girl. “People who travel all over the country always complain about the recklessness of the drivers attached to this company. ”