Coach suffers spinal cord injury in accident involving secondary school players

No fewer than seven persons escaped death when a vehicle conveying players and Coach of Community Secondary School. Aguluezechukwu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State had an accident along Oba-Nnewi Road.
The team was going to the final of this year’s Anambra State Academicals Football competition on Saturday.
Seven of the affected persons sustained various degrees of injuries, including spinal cord.
Those injured in the crash where rushed to a private hospital at Oba, but were later referred to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka due to the seriousness of their cases.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday, the Chief Medical Director of COOUTH, Dr. Lawrence Ikeako, who was personally attending to the patients, said efforts were being made to save the situation.
Ikeako said the hospital could manage some of the cases but for the Coach of the team, Benson Udeh, who had a spinal cord injury and needed to be referred to a specialist hospital.
He described Udeh’s case as complicated and promised to provide every medical assistance possible to ensure he was stable and moved to an appropriate facility.
The Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof. Kate Omenugha, described the accident as “unfortunate” and that the state government was doing everything possible to save their lives.
Omenugha said the victims were children of the state and that government was deeply concerned about their plight.
She said: “I hurriedly left the stadium before the matches started when I received the information about the accident and personally ensured that they were moved to the Teaching Hospital.
“I have informed His Excellency, Governor Willie Obiano, about it, the commissioner for Health is aware and I am in touch with the Chief Medical Director, who has assured us that they will properly attended to them.
“They are our children and we will do our best to ensure that they come back to normalcy.
“It’s quite unfortunate.”
The Chief Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon of COOUTH, Dr. Ifeanyi Ezeobi, said Udeh’s condition needed timely intervention and was also expensive.
Ezeobi said: “It’s a complication that needs urgent intervention.
“Benson needs a specialist attention and, unfortunately, orthopaedic doctors are on strike.
“So after due evaluation, he has to be moved to Enugu.”
Udeh is also the Coach of the Anambra State Gymnastics team and had taken them to National competitions, where they won laurels.
The Principal of the School, Blessing Egege, lead a team sympathisers, including the Parents Teachers Association, members and people of Aguluezechukwu Community to ascertain the conditions of their loved ones.
In the final matches of the Anambra State Academicals soccer competition, CSS Aguluezechukwu lost to CSS Isu-Anocha, Awka North Local Government Area 6-7 on penalties in the male category.
Ogbunka Community Secondary School, Orumba North defeated Ogidi Girls’ Secondary School, Idemili North 1-0 in the female category.
The Anambra State Academicals Soccer competition kicked off on November 28, 2015, but was uncompleted at the final stage before the new Sports Commissioner, Uju Nwogu, decided to conclude it.