NYSC confirms death of Lagos female corps member hit by train

A member of the National Youth Service Corps, Nneka Odili, has lost her life as a result of injuries sustained when a train hit her on Thursday in Lagos.

The incident, which happened around the Ikeja axis of the rail line, threw motorists and pedestrians in the area into confusion.

According to a friend of the victim, Oma, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, the tragedy occurred while the victim was heading home from the monthly clearance exercise by corps members at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat.

Oma said,

“Nneka’s death is something I still don’t believe is real. How can she just die like that, somebody I still related with not too long before then? I really cannot say much; her death is one of the most painful things to have happened around me.”

Eyewitness reports said the young woman, popularly known as Nini by friends, wore headphones and could not hear the train’s horn while trying to walk across the rail track.

In a photo posted by eyewitnesses at the scene, the victim’s right leg and left hand could be seen badly damaged while blood was also noticed on her face.

Odili, who studied Home Economics at the Federal College of Education, Technical, Omoku, Rivers State, and later went to study Human Kinetics at the University of Port Harcourt, was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention, but later died.

In a Facebook post on Friday, a relative of the victim, Jessica Odili, wrote,

“After so much joy in the family this period, the devil decided to give us sadness. RIP the best sister and aunty. What a life.”

While confirming the incident, NYSC Public Relations Officer in Lagos State, Mrs. Belinda Faniyi, said the incident had left the entire organisation in shock.

Emeh Achanga

Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.