No fewer than 15 members of the Jehovah’s Witness congregation were killed in a fatal road crash on Monday evening at Awomama Bridge in Imo State.
The victims, all from Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area, were returning from the annual Jehovah’s Witness Assembly Convention in Uli, Anambra State, when their journey was cut short.
According to reports, the crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. when a trailer driving against traffic rammed into the bus conveying the worshippers. The impact killed all passengers on board instantly. Their bodies have since been deposited in a morgue.
Reacting to the tragedy, the Chairman of Oguta Local Government Area, Hon. Ifeanyi Nnani, described the incident as a dark and sorrowful moment for the people of Agwa.
In a statement signed by his aide, Orum Desmond, he said:
“The Executive Chairman of Oguta Local Government Area, Hon. Ifeanyi Nnani, has received with a heavy heart the news of the accident that took away the lives of over 10 persons from Agwa Community along Onitsha-Owerri Road this evening on their way back home to Agwa after their successful Jehovah’s Witness Assembly Convention at Uli, Anambra State.
“Oguta Local Government Area has once again witnessed another dark moment, very tragic and sorrowful. These pathetic incidents have once more reminded the people of Oguta, and Agwa, of the intense sorrow that took away the lives of Agwa people suddenly in the past.”
While consoling the bereaved families, Nnani extended his condolences to the immediate relatives of the victims and prayed for divine strength and comfort.
“May God Almighty comfort and provide for the immediate families, and strengthen them, mainly during this dark and mourning period. May their souls and the souls of other faithful departed, through the mercies of God, rest in peace. Amen,” he added.
The tragedy has triggered fresh calls for urgent road repairs in Imo State. The Mazi Progressive Network (MPN), in a statement signed by its Media Coordinator, Ralph Ibe, expressed deep grief over the loss of lives.
Similarly, the Renaissance Oguta Constituency (ROC), through its Convener, John Uchenwoke-Epkerechi, lamented the recurring tragedies on the state’s highways and urged both the federal and state governments to prioritise fixing critical road infrastructure to prevent avoidable deaths.
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