Tragedy struck on Tuesday in Abia, when two persons died in an auto crash involving the motorcade bearing the wife of Abia Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu.
The accident occurred when the motorcade was returning to Umuahia from Ntigha-Uzor in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia, where Ikpeazu had attended a burial.
Eyewitness account said the Hummer bus carrying the deceased somersaulted thrice, when the driver attempted to overtake a vehicle.
A medical doctor Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where all the victims were brought, confirmed to NAN on condition of anonymity that two women died in the accident.
He said one was the wife of a former member of the state House of Assembly, Mrs Promise Uche-Nwamkpa, who was brought in dead to the hospital.
The former lawmaker, Uche-Nwamkpa was seen weeping uncontrollably at the hospital.
He said, Mrs Nwamaka Maduchukwu, widow and mother of four, was a Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor’s wife, gave up while doctors were battling to resuscitate her,
She was also the chairperson, State Information Chapel of the Abia Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Her remains were taken to the hospital morgue, while those of Maduchukwu were seen lying at a corner of the hospital at the time of filing the report.
A female occupant of the vehicle, who escaped unhurt, told NAN that the driver was on high speed when the accident occurred.
“The driver was on high speed and everybody in the vehicle was asking him to slow down. Suddenly the bus started jumping up and down before it started summersaulting,” she said.
She said that the vehicle summersaulted about three times and that she only found herself seated safely on a field by the road.
The driver, Mr Bright Ugwubujor, blamed the accident on brake failure.
An aide to the governor’s wife, Mr Chika Ojiegbe, confirmed the incident, saying the Office of the Wife of the Governor will issue a release soon.
