The remains of five prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who died in a motor accident last Wednesday on their way to camp, have been buried in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The five deceased, who were graduates of the University of Uyo, lost their lives on July 28 in an auto crash along the Abaji-Kwali Expressway in Abuja while traveling to the NYSC orientation camp in Katsina State.
Their remains were conveyed to the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo for burial in a C-130 Nigerian Air Force jet marked NAF917.
The deceased are Asuquo Miracle Effiong, Ekikoh Stella Sylvester, Ezuruike Coleman Chikwodo, Upere Innocent Peter and Akpan Victor Joseph.
While mourning the victims, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, described the late corps members as patriotic Nigerians who were on their way to Kastina state to do their best for the country.
He said, “I had to rush down to the hospital to really confirm if it was true, and at last, it was true.
“We are completely devastated and diminished because as parents we know what it takes to train a child to this level.
“It is like an investment and it is an investment, but who are we to question God?
“There is nothing anyone can do than to pray God Almighty to give you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” Ibrahim told parents and relatives of the deceased at the 2 Brigade Headquarters, Nigeria Army, Uyo”.
Reacting to the incident, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State ,Udom Emmanuel, described as sad and painful, the death of the five prospective corps members.
He said, “We received the news of the deaths of our corps members with shock and sadness. We pray God to grant the families the fortitude to bear the loss.”