How I escaped death, by lone crash survivor

The Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, is grieving over the death last Friday of eight students in a road accident.

There were nine students aboard the bus. The lone survivor of the accident, Ibukun Laughter Akinbo, a 300-Level, Science student relives her lucky escape.

SANYA BOLUWATIFE (400-Level Law) reports. They were in high spirits as they sat in the bus heading for their homes after a tedious semester. They had just finished their examination. “How did you answer that question?” “How did you tackle that number?” the students might have been asking one another as they chatted heartily. Going home was a big relief for these students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

They were looking forward to a restful holiday. When they left their campus last Friday, they bade friends and others goodbye. But, unknown to many of them, it was to be the final goodbye – a farewell. Eight of the nine students on board the 18-seater bus died in an accident on the Sagamu-Benin Expressway. The driver and two others also died.

The lone survivor, Ibukun Laughter Akinbo, a 300-level Chemical Science student, relived the tragedy to EagleEye, attributing her survival to divine intervention. “I sat with my cousin, Yetunde Aribiola, on the front seat during the journey. Suddenly, the truck collided with the bus in which we were travelling, which caused the container to fall on the bus. I noticed the door broke away and a heavy breeze threw me out of the vehicle,” said Ibukun who has an arm injury.

Ogun State Deputy Governor Mrs Yetunde Onanuga visited Ibukun at the Babacock University Teaching Hospital at Ilishan Remo where she expressed satisfaction with her condition. Commiserating with the bereaved families, she said: “It is sad that the students died in their prime; at a time the country needs the younger generation to contribute their knowledge towards the growth of the society.”

EagleEye gathered that the accident occurred at Ilishan Junction.•

The victims are:
Eunice Odubanjo Oluwadamilola, 200-Level Political Science,
Mariam Omolade Ogunnoiki, 100-Level Education,
Yetunde Aribiola Elizabeth, 100-Level Biochemistry,
Suliat Adams Oluwatobi, 100-Level Accounting,
Funmilayo Pampam Latifat, 100-Level Chemical Science,
Christiana Asade Ibukun, 200-Level Law,
Ayoola Sheriff Gbolahan, 100-Level Agricultural Engineering  and
Olatunji Dairo Michael, graduating student of Physics.

Their death is a sad reminder of a similar accident in which five students were killed. It was gathered that the driver of the container-laden truck, with number-plate BDG 779 XE, wasdriving on the opposite lane to avoid craters on its lane.

The unlatched container fell on the Toyota Hiace bus, with number-plate XV 311 MUS, after the head-on collision. The Ijebu-Ode Commander of the Ogun State Traffic Management and Compliance Agency (TRACE), Tommy Hamzat, confirmed the truck was moving on the opposite lane. He said the truck was on top speed, adding that the container fell on the bus and crushed the occupants. Hamzat said: “I was coming from Sagamu and saw the accident. I had quickly stopped and ran to the scene to rescue the victims. Unfortunately, all the occupants died, including the driver. Only one passenger survived.”

The TRACE Commander in Sagamu, Kehinde Arode, confirmed the death of 12 passengers, saying one person was “badly injured”. He said the survivor was in the intensive care at OOU Teaching Hospital.The bodies had been deposited in the morgue. This is the second time the school would record such tragedy. The first was three months ago. EagleEye gathered that between April and last month more than 17 students have died in road accidents.

The casualties in the earlier, were Jennifer Azuh, 400-Level Banking and Finance, Lolade Yusuf, 300-Level Education, Joy Imoh, 300-Level Mass Communication, Adeoye Ogunuga, 100-Level Engineering and Samuel Adenekan, 300-Level Engineering.In their reacctions, some students called for prayers to stem such tragedy. Adeniyi Akinbami, a 300-Level Mass Communication student, said: “The increasing rate of accidents involving OOU students should raise concern in the school. We have lost five students in the last three months and, today, another 12 colleagues were crushed to death. This is tragic; things are really getting bad and I think we need prayers in the school to wave off these untimely deaths.

“Apart from this, the government needs to check the dangerous driving of truck drivers; their bad manners on the road have brought sorrow to many families that have lost their children and loved ones on the road.”

The Students’ Union Government (SUG) President, Adenola Adegbesan, described the students’death as sad. 

"I may not have met or had close relationship with the deceased, but we were all colleagues. After our examination, we hoped to see ourselves when the school resumes in the next two weeks but these students will not return. I am yet to come to term with the tragic accident. I can only pray God gives the bereaved families the strength to bear the loss,” he added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of students stormed the spot of the accident on Monday in protest. The students, who converged on the mini campus at 7am, were clad in black wears. They moved to the spot in three buses, demanding the prosecution of the truck driver. At the scene, students broke down in tears, chanting solidarity songs. Adegbesan condemned truck drivers’ actions to drive on opposite lane.

The protesters gave the company that owns the truck to fish out the driver or face students’ wrath. The students observed moment of silence in honour of the victims, after which prayers were said in Christian and Islamic ways. The students attempted to invade the company but the move was resisted by riot policemen, who mounted the company’s gate.