A 400- level student of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia, Miss Chidinma Ogbonna was on Sunday evening, crushed to death by a truck.
The victim who is a final-year student of the institution, suffered the terrible fate at Ahieke junction, near new timber market along Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene high way, while returning from a function.
The incident is coming just two months after NYSC-bound first-class student, Miss Blessing Kalu died in an accident along the same road.
The news of Sunday’s accident which spread like a wild fire on Umudike campus, caused tension around the entire Umudike community as enraged students spoilt for war.
By Monday morning, the students drawn from different departments took over the entire Umuahia-Umudike expressway in protest, turning back every vehicle that plied the route.
They blamed the death of their colleagues on bad conditions of the road while accusing the federal and Abia State governments of failure to fix the road.
Most staff of MOUAU, National Crop Research Institute, National Open University of Nigeria and traders at Umuahia industrial market were also chased back by the angry students.
Not satisfied, they marched down to Umuahia, State capital and headed straight to government house but they were prevented from gaining entrance into the government house by a team of policemen.
The protest changed in strategy as the protesters formed another blockade at FMC and Ikot Ekpene junctions despite repeated pleadings by security men to the students to leave the roads.
It took the intervention of some student leaders before the agitated students agreed to suspend the protest by 12noon. Passengers and pedestrians had a terrible time as they trekked long distances while the protest lasted.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the school, Mrs. Adanma Nwachukwu Odefa could not be reached for comment.
