A biology graduate and service corps member, Roland Moses, talks with ALEXANDER OKÉRE on how he survived an accident and another potential one on December 23, 2022 while traveling from Enugu to Akwa Ibom State
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Roland Moses. I am from Akwa Ibom state. I am a corps member serving in the Kogi state. I studied biology at Ritman University, a private university in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. I love teaching and I would like to be a teacher. I would love to get a master’s degree.
He made a Facebook post stating that he survived an accident on Enugu Road on December 15, 2022. Where was he going that day?
He was coming from Enugu (state) (and traveling) to Akwa Ibom state. She just wanted to go home and rest before returning for duty. There was no vehicle to take me from Kogi to Akwa Ibom, so I had to get to Enugu first. When I reached Enugu State, I boarded a bus. The driver spoke to us well. He said that we would reach Akwa Ibom in five or six hours. He also told us that they could stop us at checkpoints.
As we drove along Enugu Road, I didn’t know what really happened. I knew the driver wasn’t drunk; he was normal. As we were going, there was a vehicle, a truck, in front of us and another one behind us. I was talking to someone on the phone and as soon as I got off the call I decided to relax. But I saw the driver approach the vehicle in front. I remember the passenger next to him telling him to apply the brakes. I didn’t know if the brakes failed, but all I heard was, “Jesus! Jesus!” Suddenly, our bus crashed into the vehicle in front.
What happened after that?
Everyone left except one man who sat in the front. I think the smashed windshield must have hurt him. Later, a vehicle from Abuja came to where we were and the driver offered to drive us to Abia State. He took us to Abia State and I boarded another vehicle from the same company. When I bought my ticket, I asked the driver about the condition of the vehicle and he told me that everything was fine. He said that he was about to move and was even waiting for some passengers.
On our way to Akwa Ibom, I noticed that the man was struggling with his brakes and I and some other passengers told him to drive slowly, but the man didn’t say anything. He told us not to teach him how to drive the vehicle, but I told him that he had been in an accident a few hours before and that he had the right to tell him to drive carefully. He managed to control the vehicle and got out of it and told us that the brakes failed. I was shocked. The other vehicle from the same bus company! It was not my first time traveling with the bus company, so I was very surprised! I just thank God.
Did the passenger who was sitting next to the driver before the accident survive the crash?
I was not myself at the time (when the accident happened). I only saw that he was bleeding and assumed that he would have been injured by the broken windshield. If you check the vehicle in the picture, you will notice that the front passenger seat was damaged. I think he had a minor injury.
What did the driver of the vehicle that took you from Enugu say shortly after the accident?
When the accident happened, I thought the vehicle would catch fire, so I stayed away and tried to call my relatives to inform them about it. As soon as the driver got out, he tried to check if the passenger sitting near him was okay. The passenger was fine but he was taken to a hospital. The driver did not have time to address the passengers.
What did the management of the bus company tell you and other passengers when you arrived at Akwa Ibom?
I didn’t make it to the park. I got off at Ikot Ekpene.
What did your parents say when you informed them?
My mother was surprised. I heard her crying in the background and that made me cry because I thought, “If she had died, how would my parents have felt?” I had to send them a photo of the vehicle after the crash and they were shocked. I was impressed. As soon as I got out of the vehicle, I knew that God had a better plan for me.
Some of your friends may not have known about the accident until they saw your post on social media. What kind of reaction did you get from them?
I received many calls; even people I didn’t know called me to congratulate me. My phone turned off because the battery died from the number of calls I received. I made the post in the morning and in the evening, I saw that the blogs had picked it up and republished it.
Have you ever had a similar experience in the past?
No. The funny thing is that I saw that vehicle and everything as it happened.
You mean you foresaw the accident?
Even before leaving that day, I dreamed that something would happen. I wanted to stay behind (in Kogi) but I thought about what I had to do. I will testify in my church.
