Written by SpringNewsNG Media Limited, March 30, 2025

It was a bright Tuesday, March 11—another typical day on the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Nothing about it hinted at the tragedy that was about to unfold, a catastrophe that would claim lives and shatter families in an instant.

Among the unsuspecting motorists navigating the chaotic evening traffic were Chiedozie Okoye and his wife, Joan, newlyweds still basking in the joy of their union. Their journey home should have been just another routine drive, but fate had other plans.

A 30-tonne tanker, laden with automotive gas oil, rumbled towards a nearby gas station to offload its volatile cargo. But as it approached the uphill stretch near Magodo Phase II Estate, right by the notorious Otedola Bridge, disaster struck. The brakes failed.

With horrifying speed, the tanker veered out of control, crashing into multiple vehicles before overturning. Within moments, the fuel it carried ignited, engulfing the scene in an inferno. Screams filled the air as fire consumed cars and trapped victims in a hellish blaze.

For Chiedozie and Joan, it was the end of a love story that had barely begun. Barely two weeks into their marriage, they found themselves caught in the fiery chaos, unable to escape. The flames swallowed their dreams, their future, and their lives.

A Family’s Worst Nightmare

“Dozie just resumed work that Tuesday after his wedding. His wife left her father’s house around 4 p.m. to meet him so he could pick her up on his way back from work. That was the last anyone heard from them,” a source close to the family revealed.

As news of the explosion spread on social media, family and friends frantically tried to reach the couple, but their phones remained unreachable. Initially, some feared they had been kidnapped. But as their silence stretched into hours, an ominous thought crept in, leading them to the one place they had dreaded—the scene of the accident.

Desperate, the family searched hospitals, including the Burns Centre in Gbagada, where survivors were being treated. But they found no trace of the couple. Then, on Wednesday evening, their worst nightmare was confirmed at Yaba Mortuary. The only means of identification was their vehicle’s registration number, found among the burnt wreckage.

Remembering the Lost

“The only means of identification was their vehicle’s registration number, which was found among the burnt cars. That was how the devastated search team knew they had perished in the inferno,” a Facebook user, Icewater Arucha, wrote.

Chiedozie, an Executive Assistant at the Ladipo Oluwole branch of Zenith Bank Plc since April 2016, was known for his dedication and kindness. His LinkedIn bio painted a picture of a professional banker with over six years of experience in cash handling, funds transfer, customer service, and marketing.

His friend, Elliot Egari, struggled to process the devastating loss. “I just don’t know how I’m feeling right now,” he wrote. “Dozie Okoye could sacrifice anything to make you happy if it was within his reach. I’m greatly pained that help didn’t come your way. You will be sorely missed, my friend. May the good Lord grant you rest.”

Joan, a United States-based nurse, had been preparing to return to her duty post in the U.S. on March 14—just three days after the tragedy struck.

A haunting comment on Joan’s last public photo, posted on March 9, summed up the agony of those left behind. A classmate, Mc The Young, wrote, “Please answer me. Please like my comment, I beg you. My body is weak since I heard you are no more. Joan, I saw you happy on your wedding day. Joan, please, your siblings and parents are waiting for you.”

Living on Memories

On Saturday, February 22, love and joy filled the air at Momoh Gardens on Wole Olateju Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, where Chiedozie and Joan exchanged vows. After the solemn exchange of rings at St Jude’s Anglican Church in Omole Phase 1, Ikeja, family and friends celebrated their union with music, laughter, and cheer.

But exactly four weeks later, on Saturday, March 22, a different kind of music played—a dirge of sorrow, underscored by the wails of a grieving family in Agulu, Anambra State.

A Facebook Live video captured the heart-wrenching sight: a convoy of cars trailing the hearse that carried the coffins of the young couple. Tears flowed freely as mourners watched each coffin lowered into the earth, the finality of their fate sinking in with every shovelful of dirt.

Their love story, though cut short, will forever be remembered—etched in the hearts of those who knew them, as a reminder of life’s fragility and the cruel hand of fate.