Two persons have been reported dead in an auto-crash involving the convoy of Abia Deputy Speaker. Austin Okezie Meregini.
Our correspondent gathered the accident, which happened at the Obehie axis of the popular Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, left other occupants of the Deputy Speaker’s convoy badly injured as the driver risks paralysis, except urgent spinal surgery by team of medical experts.
While the deceased were said to have died on the spot, other injured occupants of the affected SUV said to be some of the Deputy Speaker’s security personnel, The Nation learnt are on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, the state capital.
The Nation learnt the deceased Ifeanyi Maduako, 45, and Onyedi Obasi ,35, were brothers from Ehime Mbano local government area of Imo State.
Maduako and Obasi were said to have visited home for the burial of their relative and preparing going back to their bases when the unfortunate incident happened.
A source sai:d: “They came back from overseas to come and do their mother’s burial.
“One of them came back from Gambia and the other one from Philistines. They were on their way back when the ugly incident happened.
“One of the deceased persons has a child, while the other one has two children.
“There is no official cause of the accident, but we learnt that the convoy of the Abia State government official were said to be on high speed.
“It is for police and Federal Road Safety to tell the public how it happened. But like I said, information available has it that the state Assembly official’s convoy rammed into their car, resulting not just the accident, but the loss of lives,” said a source who preferred anonymity.
The two cars were said to have been towed to Obehie Police Station.
The Abia Police Command and their Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) counterpart were yet to officially comment on the incident, at the time of filing the report.
Reacting to the ugly situation, the Deputy Speaker, who debunked being in the convoy, said that the convoy team were coming back from an errand in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a response to the critics of the Deputy Speaker, who was accused of abandoning the bereaved families, Grant Okeigbo, a member of the Media Unit, Office of the Deputy, Speaker, said “the tragic incident involving the driver and two security details driving in the official pick-up truck of the Deputy Speaker and a Toyota Spider with two occupants was an unfortunate tragedy.
“Regrettably, both occupants of the Toyota Spider (The driver and passenger) lost their lives in the collusion.
“It is important to state clearly that the Deputy Speaker was not in the pick-up vehicle at the time of the accident. The truck was alone returning from an errand to Port – Harcourt when the unfortunate accident occurred.
“The Toyota Spider was driving against traffic (one-way) because of the bad condition of the other side of the lane. According to an eyewitness accounts and submission of the surviving truck driver, the Toyota Spider either suffered a burst tire or brake failure, which caused the spider to lose control and veer into the path of the Deputy Speaker’s pick-up truck.
“This resulted in a very bad collusion between the two vehicles and, unfortunately, led to the death of the two occupants of the Toyota Spider.
“The driver of the truck and the two policemen sustained serious injuries, putting their lives under very critical conditions, to the extent that the driver of the truck is currently on life support and being considered for a spine surgery, following the recommendation of a Neuro Surgeon at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.
“The Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly considers this a tragic incident and sent emissaries to the bereaved family the following day after the accident (Monday, August 4th, 2025) while working round the clock with medical professionals to save the lives of his surviving driver and security details.
“The interface and discussion between the emissaries from the Deputy Speaker and the bereaved family is still ongoing to agree on how best the bereaved family can be supported during this very difficult time without consideration of the circumstances leading to the accident in the first place.
“The Deputy Speaker is surprised and pained that such unconfirmed News is being peddled and circulated on the social media spaces against his person without hearing from him and does not believe that the bereaved family can be behind such misrepreaentation of facts, considering the circumstances and the communications thus far.
“The Deputy Speaker is appealing to the general public, especially the media, to exercise caution to avoid spreading unverified reports, especially in such sensitive matter, involving loss of lives.
“Out of respect for the deceased and their family, The Deputy Speaker’s Office has deliberately refrained from going into certain details.
“The Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Austin Okezie Meregini is a man of empathy and responsibility who has consistently supported individuals and families in distress across the State and beyond, even when he is not in any way connected to the parties involved.
“The Deputy Speaker once again extends his heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and pray for the repose of their souls in God’s bosom.”
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