The van crushed him and he was rushed to the hospital where he died in the course of treatment.
Tragedy befell Ikyangedu community in the Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State when a bridegroom, John Abugu, was crushed to death on his wedding day – only a few hours to the ceremony.
According to The Nation, a Toyota Hilux van ran into the deceased and killed him.
Abugu reportedly met his tragic end while on his way to pick up his wedding suit at the shop of a nearby dry cleaner.
The van crushed him and he was rushed to the hospital where he died in the course of treatment.
Mr Julius Abugu, a friend of the deceased, who was with him on the bike at the time the accident occurred, recalled that he and the late groom had gone to pick up his wedding suit at the dry cleaner's around 8.30 am on the fateful day while the wedding was scheduled for 10 am.
According to Julius, while they were trying to cross the road, Abugu did not look properly before getting on the road and was knocked down by a Toyota Hilux van.
He said injuries sustained by Abugu were mostly internal, adding that he also had injury on his forehead.
He attributed Abugu’s inability to sight the Hilux van to the dizziness that might have resulted from the pressure of running around to see that things were in order for the wedding.
Things were said to have taken a turn for the worse when Abugu started vomiting uncontrollably at the hospital.
Julius said: “I can’t really explain how the whole event turned out that. John (Abugu) was full of life and we were together going up and down to see that the arrangement was in order.
“He was so happy that he was going to get married the next day. He was busy the previous day receiving his friends who were coming from long distances.
“We went to see the dry cleaner the previous day, but because there was no electricity, he could not iron the suit. But he assured that once there was power supply in the night, he would do it for us to pick it up early in the morning the next day, and that was what we did.
“When he wanted to go to the dry cleaner's, I insisted that I would ride the motorcycle but he said I shouldn’t worry, that he would ride. He was actually telling me about one of his friends whom he was expecting that morning to use his car to convey them to the church for the wedding and after the wedding.
“Due to the excitement he had, he didn’t look at both sides of the road before entering the highway where the Hilux hit the two of us. We both sustained injuries but he was more affected, and we were rushed to the hospital immediately.
“Even at the hospital, we were being treated together. But a few minutes later, his situation worsened as he was bleeding from his ears, eyes and nose, and he suddenly died.”
Julius described his late friend as a committed young man who was very accommodating.
Also, the father of the bride, Mr Patrick Hudu, said: “We do not want this. We did not pray for this. It is not our desire. It was not our expectations.
“I was with my son-in-law yesterday (penultimate Friday) and he was full of life. If anyone had told me the wedding would not hold, I would not believe it. But God has done it.
“We are human, we are flesh, so we are not going to see it the way you see it, Lord. We are going to see it the way you see it Lord. We are going to be pained and we are actually pained, but God knows better.”