The story of Romeo and Juliet is read by many and taken for
granted as just another story, a fairy tale. But, your heart will melt
when you hear one of the most shocking stories of the tragic accident involving
a Young Shall Grow luxurious bus and a Dangote cement truck, the story of Nneka
and Kenneth Ojielo, a couple who died in the accident. Theirs is a story that
will bring tears to many eyes because Kenneth had not seen his wife in the last
10 years until Thursday, the day before they both perished in the explosion.
granted as just another story, a fairy tale. But, your heart will melt
when you hear one of the most shocking stories of the tragic accident involving
a Young Shall Grow luxurious bus and a Dangote cement truck, the story of Nneka
and Kenneth Ojielo, a couple who died in the accident. Theirs is a story that
will bring tears to many eyes because Kenneth had not seen his wife in the last
10 years until Thursday, the day before they both perished in the explosion.
“My sister travelled to Lagos from Enugu on Wednesday. On Thursday, I took her
to the airport to welcome her husband. No one could separate them when Kenneth
eventually came out with his luggage. They kissed for about 15 minutes and
everybody around just stood watching.”
Nneka’s younger brother, Ogonna Abako, told Punch that “Kenneth
travelled to Austria in 2003 in search of greener pastures. Before he left,
they already had five children. Their eldest child is 21.“They actually got
married very early. Kenneth was 26 years old when they got married while my
sister was about 20 years old at the time. Everybody was joyous when we heard
he was coming home.”A picture of the joyous reunion taken by Ogonna’s wife on
her mobile phone at the airport showed a couple with much happiness written all
over their faces.
travelled to Austria in 2003 in search of greener pastures. Before he left,
they already had five children. Their eldest child is 21.“They actually got
married very early. Kenneth was 26 years old when they got married while my
sister was about 20 years old at the time. Everybody was joyous when we heard
he was coming home.”A picture of the joyous reunion taken by Ogonna’s wife on
her mobile phone at the airport showed a couple with much happiness written all
over their faces.
But that joy was short-lived.
On Friday, they decided to travel to Enugu. Kenneth wanted to meet his children
as soon as possible. The children too were ecstatic in Enugu as they kept
calling, asking their father, whom they had not seen in the last 10 years, to
get home on time.
Ogonna said, “I drove my sister and her husband to a hotel and lodged them
there. The following day, I woke up early to take them to the bus park. We got
to Jibowu and realised that the Ekene bus they wanted to take had already
left.“I wanted them to take a smaller bus, but Kenneth insisted he would rather
board the luxury bus.”
The couple held hands in the bus and prayed for journey mercies as Ogonna bid
them farewell, not knowing it was for the last time. He said he called his
sister’s phone at 3pm but it did not connect. He thought there was at network
problem. “When it was 6pm, my sister’s eldest child called and said she
had not seen her parents. I then asked my brother to go to the Young Shall Grow
park in Enugu. He was told there that only two of the company’s buses took off
from Lagos that day, one from Maza Maza and one from Jibowu.
“Many families were waiting for their relations at the park too. The bus that
took off from Maza Maza got to the park and that was when the passengers broke
the news of the accident to waiting families. Those children will never see
their father and mother again,” Abako said as he dabbed at his teary eyes.Worse
is the fact that their bodies cannot be claimed by their family members for
burial as they were burnt beyond recognition and were therefore given a mass
burial on Tuesday in Benin.
Source: Punch
