MONDAY- 18th August, 2021: The remains of an All Progressives Congress leader in Ebonyi State, Ogochukwu Elem, and two others have been pulled from a mining pit in the state. They died when they car plunged into the pit on Saturday evening
They were pulled from the pit by combined efforts of a crane supplied by the State Ministry of Infrastructure and local divers, on Monday.
Elem and the other occupants were on their way to Ikwo for a function when the car lost control and plunged into the pit off the Abakaliki-Ikwo Road.
The incident happened at the Enyigba community axis of the road in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state on Saturday evening.
Efforts to pull out the victims and the car failed on Saturday evening and Sunday. However, the Volkswagen Golf car in which the victims were driving was pulled from the pit on Monday.
Governor Dave Umahi mourned Elem and the two others believed to be his police escorts.
He condemned the activities of miners, who dig mining pits indiscriminately in the area, thereby endangering the lives of the people and destroying the environment.
Umahi said on Monday, “We learnt of the unfortunate incident of an accident here on this road that was on Saturday. The accident is still a mystery to all of us, that was the APC Youth Leader with some policemen that were going for a function and the accident happened.
“We do not know the cause of the accident, we do not know what happened but it’s quite very mysterious how it happened that even the wages of the sand could not stop them and the small vehicle plunged into a pit that was dug over 20 years and not closed.
“It is very unfortunate and we have been fighting this issue of digging pits, harvesting lead, zinc and shippings without closing it back”.
“We have been fighting with miners in Ebonyi State over this issue. The Chief of Staff is here who also doubles as the Commissioner for Solid Mineral.
“We are going to identify all the pits in Ebonyi whether it was dug for lead, for zinc, for shippings or any other mineral. We have to identify who did it and then the closing of these pits must commence latest by next week Monday.”
Umahi also commiserated with the families of the victims, the APC and the Nigeria Police Force over the loss.
