“He was tightly squeezed between his seat and the steering wheel, and part of the skin on his face had peeled off. I thought what I saw were his teeth broken and stuck to his face… Then I heard him say, ‘Get me out of here, I’m dying.’”
I was part of the Evangelism team that was to go for the outreach at a secondary school in Eket on the 17th of November 2024. I was observant and aware of the events that transpired from the beginning of the journey until the point of the accident when our bus collided with another vehicle. My experience demonstrates God’s miraculous act towards the 22-man team that set out for that outreach.
The Miraculous Act
At the time the bus arrived at the church venue, which was past the scheduled time for us to set out to the school, I recall that one of our leaders, Sister Aniebiet, was keen on entering the bus to go for the outreach too. However, the bus was already full, with one or two people lapping each other.
At that point, I whispered to Bro. Victor, who sat in front of my seat, which was the passenger seat next to the driver, to create space up front so the two of us could sit, and then Sister Aniebiet could take my place. Typically, at certain times when the occasion demands, we would have two people manage the passenger seat so more people can be in the bus. That was my intention. But for whatever reason, Sister Aniebiet didn’t insist on joining us anymore. Rather, she stood by the bus and said she would come next time.
Fast forward to later in the day, I discovered that she was the one who ministered that Sunday morning and brought the word for the season. Apart from her having the opportunity to share, I came to realise that her not being present in the bus was God’s plan—dissuading her from entering to prevent what could have likely been a fatal event to Bro. Victor and I when the accident occurred.
At the time of the collision, Bro. Victor, who merely had a bleeding scratch on his arm, had his seat belt on. I believe his wearing the seat belt was divinely orchestrated because the relationship between Bro. Victor and a seat belt is as far as the heavens are from the earth. Bro. Victor does not like seat belts at all. Therefore, it had to be divine for him to have had it on that day. Who knows? If he didn’t have it on, he could have hit his chest or head on the dashboard, and that would have had bad consequences.
Additionally, if I had gone to sit up front with him, I would have equally hit my head or chest on the part of the dashboard where the radio and music box are positioned. In fact, after the collision, the entire radio box came out of the dashboard and was scattered. When I carried it while packing things from the bus after the accident, I thought of what could have happened to me if I had sat where I intended. I definitely would have been in a bloody mess, worse than what I incurred, which was just blood on my mouth after hitting my lips on the chair in front of me. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped in less than a minute.
After the collision, I jumped out of the vehicle with adrenaline pumping through my body because I heard from the onlookers trying to help out that an explosion could occur at any time, as the engine oil of our bus had spilt on the ground. But then there was no fire or explosion. For this, I give God the glory.
When I jumped out and turned to see everyone in the vehicle, I could only hear screams of pain from some of our brethren. But I didn’t hear any sound or see any movement from Brother Michael, the driver.
I tried to walk normally as though I came out unscathed, but the right side of my waist sent waves of pain signals to my brain, and I screamed out. The impact had caused some muscular strain on my waist, which I thought had affected my bones. Thankfully, after going through a scan at the hospital, we discovered that my bones were intact. From then till now, though I still feel light pain here and there, the lump that grew out of my waist as a result of the impact has reduced, and I can now walk normally—unlike the slanting posture I had right after the accident.
A Miraculous Rescue
Despite the pain, I moved around at the accident scene to help other people come out of the bus, bring things out, and console some of our sisters who were already in tears, possibly thinking Brother Michael was dead.
After a minute or so, I went back to the front seat to check on our brother, and to my amazement, I saw him turn his head around as though he was dizzy and shaking his hands in pain. He turned to look at me and said:
“Get me out of here, I’m dying, I’m in pain, I’m dying.”
I held his hands, shouting and praying in the spirit. I kept encouraging him:
“Bro. Michael, you are not dying. You are coming out of here alive.”
Just so you know, Brother Michael was in an impossible position after the impact, one that should have calmly taken his life, covered his face in blood, or neatly cut or broken off his legs.
He was tightly squeezed between his seat and the steering wheel, and part of the skin on his face had peeled off. At first, I thought what I saw was his teeth broken and stuck to his face, but when he turned and spoke, I saw his teeth were intact. Even that was a miraculous act, because his head was pressed against the part of the steering wheel that covered the horn. That plastic cover was ripped off, exposing the metal beneath, with Bro. Michael’s face on it. How he didn’t suffer a concussion or serious head injury beats my imagination.
Below his waist and down to his feet, I don’t know how the angel that protected him did it, but his knees were pushed upwards, preventing any breakage. You really need to see the video to understand the impossible position he was in.
Meanwhile, the driver of the other vehicle—whose legs were in a normal driving position—had the most gruesome injury. Her legs peeled so badly I saw whitish stuff that looked like bones. I believe she bled more than anyone involved.
Deliverance in the Midst of Danger
Brother Michael remained conscious the entire time the villagers tried to cut through the seat to bring him out, a process that lasted about 20–30 minutes.
At first, it was hard to open his door. The villagers had to bring axes and other heavy tools. I remember one of the men aiming at the door with an axe, and Brother Michael shouted:
“Don’t cut my hand o.”
I thought, “You still get mouth to talk? Thank God o!”
Using the axe wasn’t good enough. Various techniques were deployed. Eventually, a metalsmith brought an electric hacksaw and a generator. People raised concerns about an explosion due to proximity to the fuel tank. But they agreed to take the risk to save Bro. Michael’s life. Again, it was only a miracle that there was no explosion. And to everyone’s amazement, his legs were still intact with no visible injury. Even the villagers knew a miracle had just happened.
While all this was happening, I realised my phone was missing. Before the collision, I was listening to a song to stay spiritual. After the impact, I didn’t remember it until much later. I searched but didn’t find it. Even as others gave me their phones to hold, mine didn’t show up. Up till now, it’s still missing, but I give God thanks as it’s another faith class in this season. I still trust God that it’ll be found, or I’ll get a better one.
Aftermath and Gratitude
Back at the accident scene, people came with their vehicles to help take our brethren to the hospital. That too was a miracle because who just picks up strangers on the road?
At the hospital, I thank God for the prompt response. Thank God for our brethren who came around. We were everywhere in the Accident and Emergency ward, and our presence was greatly felt, especially the medical students and our people working in the hospital. I felt so proud of my church throughout. It was clear: these people have people. The medical students were just everywhere, calling out doctors and nurses to attend to us. Some even brought in their skills to help.
I thank God for Pastor, who was readily available and spent a ton of money on our treatment. One of our sisters kept reminding us:
“Better be giving better offering o”
because truly, our money is used for the kingdom. I keep wondering how it would have been if not for Pastor and the church. I haven’t spent a dime on my treatment, and the amount spent on me alone is in the tens of thousands. You don’t want to know how much has gone down overall. Thank God for Pastor Ita!
Indeed, God is a faithful Father who delivered His children from death! May His name be praised. Amen
— Bro U.U
22nd November, 2024
©God’s Lighthouse 2025
