At least five students of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) have died and another seven are fighting for their lives after a bus conveying them to Katsina state crashed.

The prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) departed the federal university in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on Tuesday evening before their vehicle tumbled in Abuja.

One of the occupants in the vehicle, speaking from a hospital where the injured were taken to, said the crash left two students headless while another was completely smashed.

The cause of the accident remains unknown, and FIRST REPORTS has yet to get a word from the UNIUYO management.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter said the students who assembled at the main gate of the institution took off at about 4 pm on 27 July, on the same day the 2021 Batch ‘B’ Stream Orientation Course was set to begin.

The source said that about three buses – registered with the institution – had already departed for Katsina, before the one that would later crash set out.

We understand that students opted for the latter bus – which was not recognised by the UNIUYO – as the fare was cheaper.

More to come …

FIRST REPORTS