A 25-year-old prospective corps member, Grace Afangideh, lost her life in a tragic accident while traveling to the NYSC orientation camp in Ebonyi State.

Grace, an English and Literary Studies graduate from the University of Calabar, feared road accidents and kidnapping. To ensure her safety, she booked a flight from Lagos to Enugu. Unfortunately, she still had to complete part of her journey by road.

On January 22, 2025, she boarded an Enugu North Mass Transit bus with other corps members. Sadly, the bus was involved in a crash at Amenu community in Okposi, leading to her untimely death.

“She could have travelled by road, but due to fear of accidents and insecurity in the Southeast, she opted for air travel via Lagos to Abakaliki,” he said.

“She couldn’t get a direct flight to Abakaliki because of a problem. Her last option was to land at Enugu airport and continue by road to Ebonyi.”

Her grieving parents described her as a bright and ambitious young woman. Her father, Mr. Camillus Afangideh, recalled how she left home on January 21 to stay closer to the airport. Her mother, Rosemary, shared that Grace had called her upon arriving in Enugu, but she was unable to answer the call at the time.

“Thirty minutes into the journey, the vehicle she was travelling in collided with another, and she died on the spot,” her father said, his voice trembling with grief.

“Grace always harboured a deep fear of road accidents and kidnapping. She often voiced her concerns, never imagining that her worst fear would be the very thing that claimed her life,” he added, struggling to control his emotions.

By evening, family and friends grew worried as they couldn’t reach Grace. Eventually, a friend got through to someone who revealed that she had been in an accident and was in the hospital.

“She had stopped working three days earlier to prepare for the trip. She used to work at Jendol Superstores,” Rosemary, her voice laced with sorrow.

“On the afternoon of January 21, when I returned home, I saw her packing and arranging her things. We talked for a while, and she was so excited. She reassured me, promising to send me her monthly allowance as a gesture of love. We were hopeful.”

The NYSC state coordinator initially assured the family that Grace was receiving treatment in the ICU. However, by the next morning, NYSC officials in Lagos arrived at her family’s home to break the heartbreaking news—Grace had not survived.

“She had to catch an early morning flight on January 22, so she decided to spend the night at the airport. I thought I would see her again when I got back from church, but she had already left.”

She was the only one who died at the scene, while two others later passed away due to their injuries. The driver of the bus also died three days later.

“I was teaching when she called. As a teacher, I don’t usually take my phone to class. By the time my colleague brought it to me, the call had already dropped,” she said, her voice heavy with regret.

A requiem mass was held for Grace at St. Lawrence, Isheri Olofin, on January 27. Her body was later transported to her father’s home in Akwa Ibom for burial on January 30, 2025.

“I started feeling uneasy,” she recalled. “Could it be kidnappers? That was one of her biggest fears, which was why she chose to fly instead of travelling by road.”

Her tragic death has left her family and friends devastated, as she was seen as a beacon of hope for her loved ones.