A grieving mother identified as Mrs Amarachi Promise Esomonu has cried out for justice after her three children aged 10, four, and three were allegedly killed when a man teaching his girlfriend how to drive lost control and rammed a vehicle into the family’s residence in the Ogbunabali area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
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The tragic incident, which occurred on May 15, 2026, has sparked widespread grief and outrage across Nigeria after a viral video of the heartbroken mother sobbing uncontrollably and recounting how she personally picked up her children’s bodies from the scene circulated on social media platforms.
The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the incident and announced that the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.
According to eyewitness accounts from residents of the Ogbunabali axis of Port Harcourt, a yet-to-be-fully-identified young man was teaching his girlfriend how to drive when the woman behind the wheel lost control of the vehicle.
A source who resides in the area recounted the sequence of events: “They were at home in Ogbunabali when this happened. A young man was teaching his girlfriend how to drive. So, as she was driving, people started shouting. Before we knew it, the car had rammed into the woman’s house. That was how her three children lost their lives.”
The source added: “It is very painful, and the mother has been crying because the children were all going to school.”
Reports further indicate that immediately following the crash, the boyfriend allegedly attempted to switch seats into the driver’s side in an apparent bid to flee the scene. However, Mrs Esomonu reportedly held him back until neighbours gathered and apprehended him.
In the viral video that has moved the nation, Mrs Esomonu was seen sobbing uncontrollably as she described the hollow emptiness that now defines her daily existence.
“Every day I wake up in the morning and remember them. Every day my alarm rings, but there are no kids for me to dress for school,” the devastated mother said while fighting back tears.
The detail about the school alarm a mundane daily routine that has now become a source of unbearable pain has resonated deeply with Nigerians, encapsulating the totality of loss suffered by a mother who went from preparing three children for school every morning to having none.
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Beyond her grief, Mrs Esomonu has raised alarm that those responsible for her children’s deaths are not being held accountable and may be attempting to have the matter quietly dropped.
“Their killers are comfortable. They aren’t saying anything,” the grieving mother stated, expressing fears that the perpetrators and possibly local authorities were remaining silent and attempting to sweep the case under the carpet.
The mother’s explicit reference to the culprits being “comfortable” while she is left with nothing has fuelled public anger on social media, with community members and commentators demanding immediate transparency and legal action from law enforcement to ensure the family receives justice.
The Rivers State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Blessing Agabe, issued a statement on Tuesday confirming the incident and assuring the public that a thorough investigation was underway.
“The Rivers State Police Command is deeply saddened by the tragic incident which reportedly claimed the lives of three children from the same family. The unfortunate development has generated widespread grief and concern within the state,” the statement read.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, extended his condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family, praying that God grants them the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
“The Commissioner of Police wishes to assure the affected family and the general public that the Command has commenced a thorough investigation into the incident. He further reassures all concerned that every necessary step will be taken to ensure that justice is not only served, but manifestly seen to be served in accordance with the law,” the statement continued.
The police urged members of the public to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information, and cooperate with investigators as inquiries continue.
“The Command remains committed to uncovering the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensuring that anyone found culpable is brought to justice,” the statement concluded.
The incident raises serious legal questions about criminal liability for both the man who was conducting the driving lesson and the woman who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
Under Nigerian criminal law, the act of allowing an unlicensed and untrained person to operate a motor vehicle on a public road or in a residential area and the resulting death of three children could potentially attract charges of manslaughter, dangerous driving causing death, and related offences under the Criminal Code Act and the National Road Traffic Regulations.
The man who was teaching his girlfriend to drive may face liability as the person who put the vehicle in the hands of an incompetent driver and failed to ensure the safety of the surrounding community. The woman behind the wheel may face charges for causing death through reckless or dangerous driving.
The question of whether the vehicle was insured, whether either party held a valid driver’s licence, and whether the driving lesson was being conducted in an appropriate location are all matters that investigators are expected to address.
The story has been widely circulated across Nigerian social media platforms and picked up by major news outlets, with the overwhelming public reaction being one of grief, outrage, and demands for accountability.
Many commentators have framed the case as a test of whether the Rivers State justice system will deliver accountability for ordinary citizens, or whether the matter will be quietly settled or abandoned as the bereaved mother fears.
Community members have called on authorities to ensure that the case is not treated as a mere traffic accident but as a matter of criminal negligence that resulted in the deaths of three innocent children who were in the safety of their own home when a vehicle crashed through.
The incident also highlights broader concerns about road safety in Nigeria, particularly the practice of informal driving lessons conducted on public roads and in residential areas without proper supervision, training, or safeguards — a common practice that has resulted in numerous accidents and fatalities across the country.
At the heart of the public response to this tragedy is the raw, unfiltered grief of a mother who has lost everything. Mrs Esomonu’s description of picking up her own children’s bodies from the wreckage, her account of waking every morning to an alarm that no longer has a purpose, and her fear that those responsible will face no consequences have together created one of the most emotionally devastating public appeals for justice in recent Nigerian memory.
The case is expected to remain in the public eye as the police investigation progresses and the question of whether criminal charges will be filed against those responsible is resolved.
Neither the man who was conducting the driving lesson nor the woman who was behind the wheel has been publicly identified or heard from as at the time of this report. It is unclear whether any arrests have been made beyond the initial apprehension of the man at the scene by neighbours.
The Rivers State Police Command has pledged to provide updates as the investigation continues.
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