The 34-year-old Ovu River Bridge, which is located on a federal highway linking Enugu and Ebonyi states, has collapsed.

The bridge links Ebonyi State, through Uburu in
Ohaozara Local Government Area, and Enugu
State, through Agbani-Ugboka-Nara-Nkerefi in
Nkanu East council.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Wednesday that the
bridge collapsed under the weight of a truck,
which was plying it late at night.
Villagers at the foot of the bridge told our
correspondent that the truck was carrying 900
bags of cement when the bridge caved in, as
against 600 bags stipulated for heavy-duty
vehicles.
President of Nkerefi Town Union, Mr. Joseph
Mkpume, said before the town could decide on
the action to take, the driver of the truck
connived with some people and evacuated the
truck and cement.
“If we, the villagers, had been smarter than the
driver, we would have held him, the truck and
the goods, and ensure its firm comes to fix the
bridge,” said Mkpume.
He said, “Our people are now stranded and no
one is going to enjoy this Christmas because
our movement has automatically been
restricted.
“Those of them who must go to Ebonyi State
for an urgent matter would now have to go out
of our community, then pass by Enugu town,
through Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, before
getting to their destination.”
“This will take them about four times the
original journey. It then means that they will
spend half a day travelling.”
The Nkerefi Town Union president stated that
the matter was made worse because the
federal road on which the bridge is built had
been in a terrible state for more than a
decade.
“We have had to ply this federal highway filled
with pot holes for more than a decade. Now,
the only bridge on the road that links the two
states – Enugu and Ebonyi – has caved in,”
Mkpume added.
Senior officials of the Federal Road
Maintenance Agency were also at the scene of
the incident.
They told PUNCH Metro that an analysis of the
damaged bridge had been carried out, adding
that it would cost no less than N50m to fix it.
The South-East Representative of FERMA, Mr.
Nnoli Nnaji, said the analysis carried out
showed there was a structural defect.
Nnoli said FERMA had already tabled the
bridge on its emergency schedule even though
it was never part of its budget for the year
2013.
“We are making plans to get funds for an
emergency repair. We are certain to provide
the estimated cost of N50m for work to begin.
We have no option because the whole thing is
affecting the people’s commercial and farming
activities.”
Nnoli, however, called on indigenes to ensure
that heavy-duty vehicles were not allowed to
ply the bridge when fixed.