BREAKING: Many Travellers Feared Dead, Injured in Highway Crash
Nigerian police, Yobe State Command has confirmed that six persons lost their lives while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a ghastly motor accident along the Potiskum–Fika Road on Thursday afternoon.
The tragic incident occurred around Maiduwa Junction at about 3:00 p.m. on October 17, when a Sharon bus with registration number PKM 549 YZ, driven by one Adamu Hassan, reportedly lost control and crashed while conveying passengers from Potiskum to Bajoga in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State.
According to a statement signed by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Dungus Abdulkarim on Saturday, preliminary investigations revealed that the crash was caused by speeding, reckless driving, unnecessary overtaking, and possible drug use by the driver.
Police operatives from the Motor Traffic Department (MTD) of Fika Division were said to have immediately rushed to the scene to rescue the victims.
The injured were evacuated to the General Hospital, Fika, where a medical doctor confirmed six passengers dead on arrival.
“The Command attributes this unfortunate incident to overspeeding, reckless and dangerous driving, unnecessary overtaking, and drug abuse by some commercial drivers,” the statement read in part.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Ado, commiserated with the families of the deceased and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured victims.
He also warned motorists against reckless driving and vowed that those found violating road safety regulations would face the full weight of the law.
The Command further appealed to motorists, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and other stakeholders to sustain public sensitisation campaigns on safe driving and the dangers of drug abuse among commercial drivers.
Members of the public were also urged to promptly report any act of dangerous or intoxicated driving to the nearest police formation for swift intervention.
