Sources in the community told SaharaReporters on Monday that all occupants of the Hilux truck died on the spot after the vehicle was crushed by the speeding bus.
Tragedy struck on Sunday night when a 608 commercial bus transporting garri and other food items collided with a Toyota Hilux truck along the Enugu–Abakaliki Federal Road, near Akpoga-Nike, resulting in multiple fatalities.
Sources in the community told SaharaReporters on Monday that all occupants of the Hilux truck died on the spot after the vehicle was crushed by the speeding bus.
The Hilux, reportedly conveying staff of a construction company, was attempting to turn into a road leading to their office when the bus crashed into it from the side.
An eyewitness, Mrs. Elizabeth Ezeh, described the scene as “horrific.”
“We met the accident around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Other vehicles had already stopped and were calling for help. The people in the Hilux were completely mangled inside the vehicle. Some body parts were scattered on the road,” she said.
Ezeh added that the bus driver and one other occupant sustained severe injuries and were rushed to the Annunciation Specialist Hospital, Emene. Their current condition was unknown at the time of filing this report.
Residents blame excessive speeding by the bus driver for the severity of the crash.
Locals of Akpoga-Nike are calling on the Nigerian government to accelerate the long-awaited dualisation of the Enugu–Abakaliki Road.
According to them, no fewer than 20 people have died on the route since December 1, 2025.
Ezeh recalled that only last Friday, a multiple-vehicle crash occurred along the same highway at Ntezi, opposite the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) office in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, killing at least seven people.
Efforts to obtain official comments from the authorities proved difficult.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Enugu, Mr. Franklin Agbakoba, told SaharaReporters that he was not aware of the incident.
Similarly, calls and text messages to the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, went unanswered as of the time this report was filed.