Pastor’s wife, 3 children, 4 others perish in road crash

Tragedy struck, Saturday night, as at least eight persons including a Pastor’s wife, Pastor (Mrs) Hellen Samuel, her three children, Saviour, Ensigne and Purity, were reportedly killed in an auto crash in Katagbegi village of Niger State.

The accident occured when the bus owned by the Niger State Transport Authority they were travelling in ran into an articulated truck at a bad spot along Bida-Minna road.

The family of Pastor Abraham Samuel of the PotterPorchChurch, Minna and the other passengers in the bus were said to be travelling from Lagos to Minna when the crash occured at about 8pm, Saturday night.

The bus, according to eyewitness, was said to have caught fire shortly after the accident, thereby making rescue efforts difficult.


It was, however, gathered that only one passenger was rescued alive with serious burns.
Special Adviser to the Niger State Government on Emergency and Disaster Management, Mohammed Shaba, confirmed that the eight bodies had been recovered from the scene of the accident, even though the bus was believed to be carrying 18 passengers at the time of the accident.

Shaba said corpses of the deceased had been deposited at the Minna General Hospital.

The passengers were said to have been burnt in the vehicle because the local people that rushed for the rescue efforts lacked the capacity to curtail the fire.

Our correspondent who went to the church met the Pastor preaching during yesterdy’s church service after which he announced the demise of his wife and three children.

Members of the church screamed at the news but the Pastor remained calm with elders of the church around him.

According to Pastor Samuel who, however, maintained sober mood “My wife and the kids are resting.”

VANGUARD