ABUJA: Wednesday, 19th March, 2025 would remain dark in the mind of Mrs Rekiyat Olabimiji as it was the day her world came crumbling, following a truck explosion at the Karu bridge, along the Abuja – Keffi Expressway in Abuja.
When her husband, 37-year-old Olabamiji Ahmed from Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state, left their Kuduru, Abuja home that morning, there was no premonition of what fate had waiting for him.
Ahmed, an auto-mechanic, had a workshop close to the bridge, opposite the office of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Water Board in the area.
Head, Forecasting Response and Mitigation division of FCT Emergency Management Department FEMD, Mr Mark Nyam, had said the accident occurred when the driver of the CNG truck lost control on the bridge thereby running into other motorists and leading to an explosion.
Residents told Vanguard that there were three explosions from the accident.
At the end of the day, 10 persons were killed, while at least, 30 others suffered various degree of burns.
Among the dead, eight bodies were deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital in Karu, one at the Asokoro District Hospital Morgue while another body was deposited at the National Hospital.
Some of the over 30 persons who suffered various degree of burns were referred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada, Federal Medical Centre FMC, Keffi and Cedarcrest Hospital Abuja for proper care.
No fewer than 10 vehicles were also burnt in the accident.
While Nigerians were still mourning and several people counting their human material losses, another truck lost control the following day around the same spot.
According to the Federal Fire Service FFS, two person were killed on the spot in this second accident.
Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Engr. Jaji O. Abdulganiyu who was at the scene, ensured that safety was restored.
The team however averted what could have been a monumental tragedy following its discovery of a fuel-laden tanker which was already spilling its content in the scorching sun.
“During an inspection of the site, the team witnessed another accident firsthand—a trailer carrying fertilizer lost its brakes, overturning and blocking the highway. Sadly, two lives were lost on the spot, and several vehicles sustained damage.
“As the team alerted the nearest fire station for immediate response, another looming danger was identified—a fuel-laden tanker had begun spilling its contents amid other vehicles under the scorching sun. Acting swiftly, Federal Fire Service personnel applied foam compound to contain the spill and prevent a potential disaster”, the Service said.
For Ahmed’s family, they are still in agony as several days after the Wednesday accident, there has been no word from anyone – not even the owners of the truck.
Rekiyat who could not hold back tears and could not speak for long, told Vanguard that her husband was a very responsible young family man, who plied his trade as a hardworking mechanic.
According to her, Ahmed had left home that fateful Wednesday morning, full of life, hoping to return later in the day with the day’s earnings in his mechanic workshop for the family’s upkeep, but he did not return home.
Ahmed, a father of four little children, also has a 78-year-old mother who has been seriously distressed since receiving the news.
Ahmed’s first child will be 15 years old on the 27th of April, while the second will be 11 on the 2nd of April. His last children – a set of twins – will also be 9 on 2nd April.
After the dusts had settled from the CNG truck explosion, Ahmed’s family members found his lifeless body in a pile of unkempt bodies in an open space at the Karu General Hospital.
The gory sight and the pictures of the bodies of Ahmed and the seven other victims dumped outside the hospital broke Rekiyat’s heart.
Ahmed’s sister, Tinuke, said his brother might have been hit by a shrapnel from the explosion.
“He was believed to have been hit by an object thrown by the explosion to his workshop. I guess he died at the location. His body was discovered outside of the Karu General Hospital without proper care”, Tinuke, said.
According to her, Ahmed’s body was laid to rest on Thursday in a cemetery in Karu.
She said; “There is no word from the government, the truck company or anyone. The family paid hospital charges (N28,000) for body embalming and took the body for burial on Friday.
“They charged us N40,000. We had to beg before they took N28,000 to release his body that was left outside in the open,” she revealed.
Tinuke said Ahmed’s wife, children and family members are still crying.
“My mother is 78 years old. She has been inconsolable”, she said.
Speaking with Vanguard, Ahmed’s wife, Rekiyat, also confirmed that the family had not received any call or visit from anyone since the death of her husband.
“We have been here. No one has called or visited us. We are yet to see anyone,” she said.
When told that on Thursday the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike had cleared the bills of both survivors and fatalities, Rekiyat said she was not aware. She said the hospital had not reached out to her to collect the N28,000 the family had paid to have Ahmed’s body released.
Wike had on Thursday sympathized with victims of the accident and offered to foot their medical bills.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the FCT Minister said when he heard about the accident, he immediately directed the Mandate Secretary on Health and Environment, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, to ensure prompt treatment of the injured, which she did.
“He (Wike) offered to foot the medical bills of the casualties.
“The Minister, who described the accident as avoidable, expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and directed continuation of treatments of those who sustained injuries.
“On my directive, the Mandate Secretary on Health and Environment, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe was in Asokoro District Hospital, till today’s morning and she was among the medical personnel who attended to those brought to the hospital”, he said.
While calling on road users, especially heavy-duty vehicle drivers to always be cautious and adhere strictly to speed limits while driving, Wike said it was painful that precious lives were lost and vehicles were destroyed in an accident that could have been avoided.
He also called on the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC and other agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safe usage of the roads to intensify efforts aimed at maintaining strict compliance with traffic rules.
A day after the accident, Presidential spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu had “directed a thorough investigation into the tanker explosion that resulted in multiple accidents and loss of lives in Karu, Abuja, on Wednesday night”.
While President Tinubu ordered priority treatment of the injured in various medical facilities in the capital city, the statement did not however describe the scope of provide more details of the investigation.
“The President directed security agencies, particularly those concerned with road safety, to pay closer attention to traffic around the capital city’s entry and exit points”, the statement added.
For now, Rekiyat, a Point of Sales PoS operator is left with the sole burden of catering for the four children even as she pleads for support from well-meaning Nigerians. She can be reached through TodayPriceNG
