Death toll of soldiers in auto crash now 50 - To be buried today; It’s a national loss - Yar’Adua

From Chris Agbambu, Ishola Michael, Ayodele Adesanmi and
Ibrahim Dabugur - 23.05.2008

DEATH toll of soldiers in Wednesday night’s accident on Bauchi/Potiskum road has risen to 50. The soldiers were reported to be returning from peacekeeping duties in Darfur, Sudan, when they were involved in the accident.

Forty soldiers were burnt to death instantly on Wednesday when a petrol tanker ran into their convoy. The 10 soldiers who died later, it was gathered, were among those that were receiving treatment at the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital.

Family members and sympathisers thronged the scene of the accident to identify their beloved ones yesterday. The bodies of the soldiers were reported to have been conveyed to the Bauchi School of Artillery for military burial.

Men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from Potiskum unit were at the scene directing traffic. The unit commander blamed the accident on the drivers while some people said that the two drivers were trying to dodge a pothole and, in the process, rammed into each other.

President Umaru Yar’Adua on Thursday in Abuja described the death of the soldiers as a great loss to the nation and the Nigerian Army.

The President disclosed that he received with immense sadness, news of the tragic death of the soldiers in the accident. Yar’Adua, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, stated that having bravely confronted and “survived the hazards of service in strife-ridden Darfur, the gallant soldiers returned home only to lose their lives in a dreadful vehicular collision on their way back to their base.”

He said the death of the soldiers while on national service was an immense loss to the country. The President directed the Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Army authorities “to convey his personal condolences to the families of the dead soldiers and make appropriate arrangements to give them a befitting burial.”

He directed that immediate compassionate action be taken to alleviate the colossal trauma of their shocking deaths on their spouses, children and other dependants.

The President, according to Adeniyi, would be cutting short his trip to Arusha, Tanzania, where he has been attending the African Union’s Committee of 12 meeting, to return home early tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, General Luka Yusuf, who described the accident as a national calamity, landed at the Bauchi Airport at 11.30 on Thursday morning aboard a military plane on his way to the scene of the accident.

The army boss, who immediately proceeded to the scene of the accident, was received by the acting governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Gadi and the Commandant of the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Bauchi, Major General Saleh Maina, with other top military and government officials who all expressed their sympathy on the incident.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has set up a panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the soldiers. Director of Army Public Relations Department, Brigadier General Emeka Onwuemegbe, told the Nigerian Tribune that a petrol tanker ran into the convoy of soldiers who were travelling from Abuja after arriving from a six-month tour of duty in Darfur.

Their bodies have been deposited at the mortuary of the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital while those injured are receiving treatment at the same hospital.

The Defence Headquarters has, meanwhile, directed that flags be flown at half mast in the Ministry of Defence, and all military establishments as a mark of honour to the soldiers.

All appointments and schedules in the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Headquarters have also been cancelled. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Andrew Azazi, in a statement signed by Navy Captain Senebi Hungiapuko, stated that the next of kin of the departed soldiers had been contacted and arrangements were on for their interment with full military honours at the National Cemetery, Abuja, today.

The CDS assured the families of the deceased officers and soldiers that they died serving the nation and that their sacrifices would not be in vain.

He prayed God to give them the strength and fortitude to bear the painful loss of their beloved ones, adding that it was a major disaster not just to the armed forces, but to the nation at large.

Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday also expressed shock over the death of the soldiers. In a statement entitled: “Time to Mourn’’ and signed personally by the vice-president, he noted that the soldiers were killed when an articulated vehicle collided with two vehicles in their motorcade.

“These gallant Nigerian soldiers had just been de-inducted from the AU Peace Mission, where they had served meritoriously, and flown our nation’s banner with pride and distinction. “Death remains an enduring paradox. If not, how can it be that men, who without hesitation, have time and again, risked life and limb in the defence of the honour of our nation and flag, be cut down so casually in an automobile accident just a few miles away from home!

“President Umaru Yar’Adua, who is away in Arusha, Tanzania, for the meeting of the Committee of 12 of Heads of State and Governments of the African Union, is immeasurably saddened by this terrible accident and is cutting short his trip to attend the funeral ceremony scheduled for Friday in Abuja.

“It is with great sadness that I join the president, the Minister of Defence, the Nigerian military high command, as well as all Nigerians, to mourn the passage of these exemplary patriots.

“I grieve with the families that have lost breadwinners and loved ones,’’ he said, adding: “I pray the Almighty to give each and every one of them the fortitude to bear the loss.”