• How man, wife, 6 children, brother, 2 maids going for patriarch’s burial perished in Enugu tanker explosion
From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The atmosphere in Abofia Agbaja, Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, is that of sorrow and anger. Residents of the area, especially the Augustine Nwaji family and their relatives are in grief.
The family was preparing for the burial of their patriarch, Chief Augustine Nomeh Nwaji, who died at 73, when calamity befell them. The event was slated for today.
Everything had been put in place to give the man a befitting burial. Assorted foods, meats, different drinks and other items were bought in large quantities preparatory for the burial ceremony.
When Saturday Sun visited the area on Monday, a small building called obi where the remains of Chief Nwaji would be laid to rest was already erected in the large compound. It was gathered that the youth of the community had group labour and put everywhere that was in bad shape in order to ensure the venue was perfect for the event.
Sadly, the burial is no longer the topic on the lips of many now, as a more horrific, monumental tragedy has befallen the family. The family’s breadwinner, Jeremiah Amuche Nwaji, a businessman in Onitsha, as well as his wife, six children, his brother and two of his domestic workers were burnt to death in the fuel tanker fire that occurred along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway last Saturday.
Jeremiah Nwaji, his wife, children, his brother in the seminary, and the domestic workers were going back to the village on the fateful day when the unimaginable occurred.
They had planned to return to the village on Sunday, January 27, for the burial preparation. But the youths of the community had summoned Jeremiah, insisting that his attention was needed in the village, that fateful Saturday. The man, alongside the other 10 people, then left Onitsha in his Sienna car to meet the youths.
But on getting to the Ugwu-Onyeama section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, a petrol tanker reportedly hit the car and it caught fire. All the 11 occupants of the Siena car were burnt beyond recognition.
The incident, which occurred around 11.30am last Saturday, caused panic as another petrol tanker and six vehicles were also engulfed in the fire. Over 18 persons were allegedly burnt to death by the raging inferno. The death toll has since been rising.
Witnesses said the explosion happened when a fuel-laden tanker lost control while navigating the hilly expressway, overturned, and burst into flames.
The fire quickly spread to nearby vehicles, exacerbating the devastation. Rescue efforts were hampered by the intense blaze, leaving many victims burnt beyond recognition.
Nwaji and his family were buried on Monday this week in their Abofia Agbaja in Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state. The place is located after St. John’s Catholic Church, Okpugwu and Abofia market.
Since the occupants of the vehicle were totally burnt, the family members went to the scene of the disaster and collected the ashes in the sienna car that they were travelling with and put in nine caskets for symbolic burial. Relatives of his two domestic workers that were also involved in the accident also did the same.
Atmosphere of gloom
An atmosphere of total gloom pervaded the community. Tears flowed like a river in the Nwaji compound and the entire community when the nine caskets were lined up for burial. There was also a rain of curses as people of the area alleged that the accident was spiritually manipulated. Not a few members of the community claimed that they were killed by those who were unhappy over Jeremiah Nwaji’s progress in life.
They rained curses on anyone that had a hand in the man’s untimely death, alongside his entire family.
His elder sister, identified as Mama Munachi, wept uncontrollably. She told our correspondent in the Nwaji compound that enemies had been after their family members.
She disclosed that their mother gave birth to 12 children and enemies caused the death of five of them, leaving seven alive, including Jeremiah Nwaji whom she described as wealthy, humble and philanthropic. She noted that the late brother liked impacting lives in anywhere he was.
“They would have allowed my brother’s children to be alive, they would have left them for us to at least be remembering my brother and his wife,” she wailed.
Alleging spiritual manipulation, Mama Munachi disclosed that in the midnight of the penultimate Sunday, some items, including pieces of red, white clothes, some traditional items for sacrifice namely; nzu (native chalk), and eggs were found in front of the gate of the residence of the late Nwaji in the village. She said that N50 and N100 notes were kept around those items.
The distraught woman further alleged that nine lines of different sizes were also drawn with white substance in front of the gate.
She noted that those things were also kept at the back of the Nwaji compound. She said when they saw it in the morning of Monday, they called a priest who came and prayed for the family.
Jeremiah’s childhood friend who wished not to be named bemoaned that the diseased suffered to make it in life, narrating his humble beginning before making it as scrap dealer in Mgbuka Obosi scrap market.
He also recalled their early years as mass servants at the Catholic Parish, Awada, Onitsha, highlighting that Jeremiah was a devout catholic.
Jeremiah’s younger brother, Ikechukwu Nwaji also lamented the huge loss and called on President Bola to ban the movement of tankers carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as fuel, and gas during the day.
Noting that many families have lost their loved ones in similar avoidable circumstance, he said: “As done in advanced countries, our family is pleading with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to revisit the policy that stipulated that tankers should only move by night as seen before that driver moved from 9 o’clock in the night till early morning hours when they would park their trucks. Then they would continue the next day, seeing the havoc it is causing in our country.”
Ebonyi mourns, residents pour out emotions
Meanwhile, the Ugwu-Onyeama carnage has generated concerns in Abofia Agbaja community, Izzi clan, the state and beyond with a call on the Federal Government to urgently pay attention to all the roads in the country by putting them in order to avoid recurring tanker explosion.
Immediate past member of House of Representatives for Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Chief Sylvester Ogbaga who condoled with the Nwajis family said: “The loss of lives in the petrol tanker explosion is very devastating and heartbreaking. Words cannot express the sorrow I feel at this huge loss.
“This incident is yet another wakeup call to the Federal Government of Nigeria, especially the National Assembly to make laws that would improve road safety and prevent such reoccurrence.
“May the souls of our brothers and sisters who perished like chicken in the fire accident find eternal rest in thy Lord, Amen. This is too much for this young man.”
Lamenting the situation, Ikeagwu Benjamin accused the Federal Government of not having regard for human life by allowing the roads to be in a deplorable state.
“The fuel tankers are so substandard and the roads are so bad. Nobody cares. The law enforcement agents are only interested in the tokens from the drivers and we all suffer the brunt together.
“It’s Amuche Nwaji and family today. Who knows whose turn it may be tomorrow. We are in a country where lives of the citizens do not count but the interest of the politicians. I doubt if Jeremiah and family will ever come to Nigeria in their next world.
“Jeremiah Amuche Nwaji and family, I wish you all a happy voyage to the world beyond. The FON Family Anambra State shall mourn your departure profusely,” he stated.
In his tribute, a friend of Jeremiah Nwaji, Jerry Donatus said: “My namesake, I feel very sad when I received this horrible, unbelievable and unexpected bad news; I wished that it is not true but I later discovered it is the bitter truth.
“May the almighty God grant you and your lovely families internal rest in Jesus mighty name. Amen! Good bye my fellow evangelist, Good bye my fellow prayer warrior. Goodbye man of God as we part.”
A member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Victor Chidi Nwoke also joined in commiserating with the bereaved family. He, too, believed that these frequent tanker accidents were avoidable.
He said: “I was grief-stricken when I received the disheartening news of this disastrous incident, and horrendously sorry over the loss and therefore console all the families affected by the fire.
“I, therefore, solicit that the Federal Government should ensure they engage relevant agencies, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and others to embark on sustained enlightenment programmes with the tanker drivers on the need to be safety conscious while transporting petroleum products due to their inflammable nature and the general public to stay away from scenes of tanker crashes.
“However, I also urge tanker drivers to always adhere strictly to safety rules, standards and observe due protocols while plying the road especially when with fuel products as they are highly inflammable.”
Regulating fuel tanker movement
As reactions trailed the Ugwu-Onyeama, Enugu tragedy, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ebonyi State command, has joined the call on the federal and state governments to ban movement of inflammable products in the day time by petrol tankers to end incessant explosion.
The corps said many souls have been wasted in the country in petrol tanker explosion and that it was high time the federal and state governments took a holistic approach against it.
State Commandant of the corps, Francis Nnadi said in Abakaliki that the global weather change has affected a lot of things, including movement of inflammable products.
He called on other security agencies in the country to collaborate in tackling incessant petrol tanker explosion.
Nnadi said: “Two, three weeks ago if you could recall what happened in Niger State, it went viral. We lost a lot of souls, over 100.
“Somewhere in Ogun State last week, such thing happened again. Just day before yesterday, I was away from Awka when that incident happened. I went and used the old road.
“When I came in, I raised an alert to the state government. I said I am going to talk with other security agencies; the FRSC who are our partners when it comes to the safety of our roads, the police who are in charge of internal security, NSCDC who are first respondents when it comes to disaster management, the Nigerian Army who takes care of our outer territories.
“We need to come together. Let us talk about the safety of our roads. These tankers moving around during day time are not doing us well.
“Ebonyi State government can say no tanker enters our territory in the day time on the roads. We can do it; you can only move at night when the roads are free. Once it’s 6.00am, park wherever you are. The weather is changing, this global weather has affected a lot of things.
“At the slightest touch, it will ignite and only God knows the people that will be roasted.
“My take is, let’s have a holistic approach on it. You need to first educate these tanker drivers. Otherwise, you are going to have issues confronting them.”
The late Jeremiah Amuche Nwaji was Governor Francis Nwifuru’s 2023 campaign organization coordinator in Onitsha, Anambra State. The group was christened FON-Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
As at Wednesday, it was not certain that their father’s burial scheduled for this week, would still hold following the tragedy.
People have been trooping into the Nwaji compound since the tanker explosion occurred to console the family.
The late Jeremiah is survived by his mother and some brothers and sisters.
Meanwhile the Nwaji family has confirmed that the burial of their patriarch would still hold today despite the tragedy that befell them.