by The deceased, Izuorah Sochima Victor, eight, and Miss. Ilofulunwa Ugomsinachi, 11, who were pupils of Handmaids International Catholic School, Aguda, died of suffocation while they were being conveyed home by the bus driver, Mr. Odunsi Olurotimi Valentine, fondly called Uncle Mandela.
‘We told driver we weren’t feeling fine, he ignored us,’ classmates narrate how 2 pupils died in school bus.
For Mrs Ebere Izuorah, the tragedy has sunk her into despondency.
In tears, she said, “ After six years of waiting to have Victor…. Oh God !” She was also very disappointed because the school didn’t pay any condolence visits, days after the incident. She explained further that no Reverend Father or sister ,or a management staff had come to ask how they felt, apart from the visit on Saturday ( a day after the incident), as if it was a cockroach that died”.
Her husband, Mr. Izuorah Chidi, a trader , recalled how he came home that day, but his children were not back yet , children who usually returned from school by 1pm on Friday. He said he put a call to the driver of the school bus, Mandella, who informed that the bus broke down. After sometime, he called again only for the driver to ask to come Randal hospital.
He said, “I rushed down to the hospital where I saw my 11-year-old daughter placed on oxygen and drip. I didn’t see my 8-year-old son.I was told he was in the other children ward.
“I got there but they didn’t let me see him. I asked the doctor where my son was and he told me that my son and a girl who was also in the bus were dead on arrival while other kids in the bus were being revived with oxygen.
My daughter told me that she watched her younger brother suffocate and that she called on the driver to open the windows because her brother was dying, but he didn’t listen to her. It wasn’t until he got to the destination of one of the pupils before he realised that something had happened to the children.
For the driver’s side of the story, he was very remorseful and wished he could correct his error. He admitted being alerted by the children that some of them were feeling unwell but said he thought they were trying to play pranks.
He further stated that it rained heavily that day so he decided to wound up the glass, along the way, he had a flat tyre and decided to get a vulcanizer. He said he closed the windows and door to avoid kidnappers. On getting back, the children complained about the heat and he ignored thinking it was a prank, until he got to stop he then noticed that some of the student had fainted and some were vomiting. He immediately rushed them to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, two students were confirmed dead already. He apologized and said that he didn’t do it on purpose.
The Management of Handmaids International Catholic School, expressed shock at the tragic incident.
