By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
For the Nwaji family, January 2025 was supposed to be a time of solemn remembrance as they prepared to lay their father to rest. But the funeral quickly turned into a nightmare of unimaginable grief when tragedy struck on the way to the burial.
Thirty-seven-year-old Ikechukwu Nwaji recalls the moment his world shattered—his elder brother, Jeremiah Nwaji, along with his wife, six children, a maid, a male servant, and their younger brother, Emmanuel, all perished in the deadly Enugu tanker explosion.
“They left Onitsha that morning, heading to Ebonyi for our father’s burial,” Ikechukwu recounts, his voice heavy with sorrow. “But they never made it. By 2 p.m., when they hadn’t arrived, I began to worry. I called their phones—each one was switched off. That’s when fear set in.”
His worst nightmare became reality when he saw the news of the tanker explosion at Ugwu Onyeama along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway. Racing to the scene the next morning, he was met with a horrifying sight—only ashes and skeletal remains were left of the Sienna bus that once carried his family.
“They were burnt beyond recognition,” he says, shaking his head. “People said they looked like roasted animals. But those were my family—my brothers, my sister-in-law, my nieces and nephews.”
What makes the loss even more painful is that Jeremiah Nwaji wasn’t just any man—he was the breadwinner of the family and a political ally of Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, having served as the Onitsha Coordinator of his political movement. Yet, Ikechukwu laments that despite their connection, the governor has yet to visit the grieving family.
“I thought he would be the first to come,” he says. “His presence alone would have been a huge consolation.”
As the family struggles to process the loss, Ikechukwu has one message for the public—travel safety should not be taken for granted.
“If only they had traveled in separate vehicles, maybe not all would have perished,” he reflects. “Life is unpredictable, and in moments like this, you realize that tragedy doesn’t send a warning.”
For now, the family clings to the support of their community, who have surrounded them in solidarity. But no amount of comfort can replace the void left behind by 11 lives lost in an instant.