Follow Us on Google
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Ten passengers were feared dead in a fatal motor accident involving a bus on the way to Ofoni, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, venue of the burial ceremony of the late deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
According to investigations, the 18-seater bus was conveying passengers from Yenagoa when it somersaulted at the Toru-Orua axis along the Sagbama/Ekeremor road.
An eyewitness account described the accident as if it were a movie, as the bus somersaulted while attempting to turn a bend on the road. Findings indicated that other guests going for the burial had to stop their vehicles to attend to the accident victims.
One of those who helped in the rescue exercise said dead bodies of the passengers that died on the spot were brought of the vehicle, while the injured were attended to. He also disclosed that other passengers who sustained injuries were evacuated to nearby hospitals in Sagbama for immediate treatment.
A viral video of the accident showed people crying and lamenting the tragedy on the day the late Ewhrudajkpo was buried.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Musa Muhammed, who confirmed the accident, however, said the number of casualties had not been confirmed.
Also, a top official of the Ministry of Health confirmed the accident but said the government has not ascertained the number of casualties. The late Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, aged 60, who slumped and died in Government House on December 11, 2025, was buried on Saturday at Ofoni community after a requiem Mass at St Paul’s Catholic Church Ofoni.
