The Chairman of the Cross River State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Emmanuel Olayi, and four others reportedly escaped death but sustained varying degrees of injury after being involved in a road accident along a highway in the state.
The accident occurred along the Ikom–Calabar expressway while Olayi was travelling with members of his team to a youth engagement programme in the state.
The crash happened between 3pm and 4pm yesterday along the Nko/Inyima axis of the highway, as Olayi and his aides were en route to Obubra Local Government Area as part of the Central Youth Engagement Tour organised by the state Commissioner for Special Duties, Oden Ewa.
Speaking from his hospital bed on Friday, Olayi said the red Toyota Corolla conveying him, three aides, and a driver suddenly skidded off the road despite efforts by the driver to regain control.
“We were travelling ahead of the main convoy when the vehicle suddenly skidded off the road despite the driver’s efforts to regain control. The car veered into the bush, somersaulted several times, and crashed into a tree. We all sustained injuries to different parts of our bodies, but I thank God that no life was lost,” he said.
According to him, the occupants sustained varying degrees of injuries to the head, neck, and chest, while one of his aides was temporarily unable to use his legs immediately after the accident.
Olayi said commercial motorcyclists in the area were the first responders at the scene.
“Commercial motorcyclists around the area were the first to come to our rescue. They helped to open the vehicle and rushed us to the General Hospital in Ugep, where we received first aid before being transferred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital,” he added.
He clarified that his vehicle was the only one involved in the accident, noting that it was travelling ahead of the main convoy at the time of the crash.
As of the time of filing this report, Olayi and the other occupants of the vehicle were responding to treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, while the damaged vehicle remained at the accident scene pending recovery.
