Truck Crushes Mother Of Five To Death In Abuja

inset: Deaconess Ngozi Ike
inset: Deaconess Ngozi Ike

A 39 year-old mother of five, Deaconess Ngozi Ike, met her untimely death in Abuja while she rode on a commercial motorcycle, popularly called okada on her way back to her shop at village market where she sold Nigerian prints and Hollandis.

She was said to be returning to her shop on Okada around 12 noon when, she, like many others at the scene, sighted an articulated vehicle, with the driver and his conductor shouting, ‘brake failure, brake failure’, for everyone to clear from the road.

Mrs Ike panicked and jumped from the Okada, according to eyewitnesses. Without stopping, the Okada rider zoomed off unhurt, but Ngozi lost her balance while trying to run, and fell on the verge of the road where the trailer met her.

The trailer, with number plate XV 245 EPE, crushed her and went further to ram into other vehicles parked around. Sympathizers who picked up her phone from the scene informed Mrs Ngozi’s husband, who with other family members rushed to the scene of the accident.

An eyewitness said the trailer was sighted from Arab Road Junction heading towards Byazhin Road in Kubwa.

The eyewitness confirmed to Vanguard that the driver of the trailer and his assistant indeed kept shouting, ‘brake failure; brake failure,’ to warn people to clear off the road but that could not save the housewife from being crushed. Another eye witness, who said he was a member of the same church with Ngozi, said the deceased’s junior sister, identified as Lilian, had premonition of an imminent death in the family though the dream did not zero-in on the victim.

Six of the cars smashed by the articulated vehicle were damaged beyond repairs while two others were badly dented. All the vehicles were parked on the verge of the road while some of the owners have their workshops just by the scene of the accident. One of the vehicle owners, Mr Ambrose Bello, kept thanking God for saving his life. Bello said he parked his vehicle in front of his workshop when he heard noise outside and rushed out to see what was happening only to see his car crushed by the trailer.

When Vanguard visited the home of the Ike family, it was under lock and key as the entire family was said to have had travelled to Obiaruku, Delta State, the deceased’s home town, for her burial.

Family friend of the Ikes for 13 years, Elder and Mrs Alizor Chuks, said Mrs Ike visited them on August 7while they also saw her on August 9, when she was returning from Kubwa village market. That was the last they saw of her before Mr Ike called them to break the sad news of her death on that Saturday.

Mrs Alizor said Ngozi Ike was a peace loving and jovial friend since she they became friends in 2000 and that both families worship in Christ Chosen Church of God as senior members.

According to Elder Alizor, when Elder Ike informed his late wife’s family about the death of their daughter, her family insisted that they must see the remains in Obiaruku, warning that she must not be buried in Abuja or anywhere else.

The Ike family traveled to Obiaruku on August 11 to bury the remains of Dns Ike who om death snapped away at her prime.

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