Horrific Accident: Brothers Who Returned from Abroad for Mother’s Burial Killed in Deputy Speaker’s Convoy Crash

Two brothers who had travelled from abroad for their mother’s burial have died in a ghastly motor accident involving a vehicle from the convoy of the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Austin Okezie Meregini.

The crash occurred along the Obehie axis of the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway and left other occupants of the Deputy Speaker’s convoy with severe injuries.

The deceased were identified as Ifeanyi Maduako, 45, and Onyedi Obasi, 35, both from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. One of them had flown in from Gambia, while the other came from the Philippines. They had completed their mother’s burial and were on their way back when tragedy struck.

Eyewitnesses alleged that the convoy was at high speed when it collided with the victims’ Toyota Spider. However, the cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed by the police or the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). Both vehicles were later moved to Obehie Police Station.

Several security personnel attached to the convoy sustained injuries and are being treated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia. The driver of the convoy’s pick-up is said to be at risk of paralysis unless he undergoes urgent spinal surgery.

In a statement, Deputy Speaker Meregini denied being in the convoy at the time of the accident, clarifying that his official vehicle was returning alone from an errand in Port Harcourt. His media aide, Grant Okeigbo, described the incident as a “tragic collision” and claimed that the Toyota Spider was driving against traffic because of the bad condition of the road.

According to him, the car may have suffered a burst tire or brake failure before veering into the path of the Deputy Speaker’s pick-up truck. Both occupants of the Spider died instantly, while the convoy’s driver and two policemen sustained life-threatening injuries.

The Deputy Speaker has since sent emissaries to the bereaved family and pledged support during their time of grief. He also appealed to the public and the media to avoid spreading unverified claims about the incident, stressing that his office has deliberately refrained from releasing some details out of respect for the deceased.

Meregini extended his condolences to the family, describing the tragedy as painful and praying for the repose of the brothers’ souls.