Crash: Bodies of Ebonyi APC youth leader, police officers recovered from mining pit

The bodies of three victims of the accident that occurred in Ebonyi over the weekend, have been recovered.

On Saturday, a vehicle veered off the Abakaliki-Ikwo road in Ebonyi, and plunged into a mining pit in the area.

Rescue efforts began on Saturday evening, but the water-logged nature of the mining pit area affected the operations.

The three bodies — that of Ogochukwu Elem, a youth leader in Ebonyi, and two police officers — were eventually recovered on Monday.

The three victims were said to be on their way to a function, when the accident happened.

Speaking at the scene of the incident on Monday, David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, commiserated with the family members of the victims.

According to a statement by Francis Nwaze, spokesman to the Ebonyi governor, Umahi described the incident as “very mysterious and unfortunate”.

“We learned of the unfortunate incident of an accident on this road on Saturday. The accident is still a mystery to all of us as that was the APC state youth leader with two policemen that were going for a function and the accident happened,” Umahi was quoted as saying.

“We do not know the cause of the accident; we do not know what happened, but it is quite very mysterious that even the wedges of the sand could not stop them, and the car plunged into a mining pit that was dug over 20 years ago and not closed.

“It is very unfortunate, and we have been fighting this issue of digging pits, harvesting led, zinc and even chippings without closing it back.

“We are going to identify all the pits in Ebonyi state, whether it was dug for led, zinc, chippings or any other mineral in the state. We have to identify who did it and the closing of these pits must commence latest by next week Monday.”

Umahi, who thanked all those involved in the rescue efforts, expressed concern that the lands in the state are being destroyed by illegal mining activities.

“Unfortunately, even the roads are being destroyed by the miners and the takers of the materials late at night aided by our people and some bad people in the security agencies,” he said.

“We are going to be very tough on them in some weeks ahead. Our lands are being destroyed. We cannot take back our lands that are being destroyed, and yet, what is supposed to come to the people doesn’t come to the people; that is man inhumanity to man. You destroy the land, destroy the people and you destroy their future.

“Ebonyians who collaborate with these enemies of the state to do this will hear from us very soon. In all, we ask God to judge them fairly as we console the family of our youth leader; we console the CP and the families of the policemen who lost their lives; we console Ikwo people and the states where these policemen came from.”