Five dead, 18 injured in crash on Enugu-Onitsha Expressway

Five people have died and 18 others were injured in a multiple-vehicle crash at the Ugwu-Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps.

The crash occurred at about 3:18 p.m. on September 3 near the LNG Plant at Ugwu-Onyeama.

FRSC Route Commander Theophilus Okoduwa, the Enugu State Sector Command Public Enlightenment Officer, said 25 people were involved — 13 males and 12 females.

Five people, comprising four males and one female, died.

Another 18 people — seven males and 11 females — were injured.

Three vehicles involved

The FRSC said the crash involved a Dongfeng trailer, a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus and a Honda car.

The injured were taken to Tex Hospital at 9th Mile Corner for treatment.

The remains of the five people who died were taken to Ekochin Morgue at 9th Mile after medical confirmation.

Emergency response began within minutes

Okoduwa said the FRSC Sector Command received information about the crash at about 3:25 p.m.

He said officers, marshals, patrol vehicles and an ICU ambulance arrived at the scene within nine minutes.

Traffic was diverted while emergency personnel evacuated victims and worked to clear wreckage from the expressway.

Cause remains under investigation

FRSC said its preliminary investigation indicated that wrongful overtaking and speed violation may have contributed to the crash.

That remains a preliminary assessment.

No final investigation reviewed by IDNN has established the complete sequence of events or assigned responsibility to a particular driver or vehicle operator.

There is also no verified evidence establishing whether mechanical failure or road conditions contributed to the crash.

IDNN is therefore not assigning fault.

Road-safety questions remain

The immediate consequence is clear: five people are dead, 18 are injured and traffic on a major transport corridor required emergency diversion.

The next accountability question is whether the FRSC’s preliminary assessment is sustained by a fuller investigation and what enforcement or road-safety measures follow.

Until then, the verified position is that five people died and 18 were injured in a three-vehicle crash, while the precise causal chain remains under investigation.