A truck overloaded with food items and more than 200 people crashed in Niger State, the north-central geo-political region of Nigeria, killing 25 passengers and injuring dozens of others, authorities said yesterday.
The truck was heading to Lagos when it crashed on Tuesday at Takalafia village in Niger’s Magama district, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials said yesterday. A statement by the Niger State governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, said the 25 victims have been taken to a nearby mortuary while other passengers were being treated for their injuries.
The FRSC sector commander in the state, Kumar Tsukwam, said he believed some of the passengers wanted to travel with the trailer through Tuesday night to avoid unsafe roads during the day. “The passengers were not mindful of the nature of the road and the goods it was conveying,” Tsukwam said.
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Overloading and speeding are common causes of crashes along major roads in Nigeria where traffic rules are often not adhered to, with drivers who disobey the rules often escaping penalties.
Authorities are going to ensure that “stringent penalties are meted out to traffic rule violators” in Niger state, Bago said.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu yesterday commiserated with the people and government of Niger State over the auto-crash, which led to the loss of many lives in Magama Local Government Area of the state.
A statement by the president’s media aide, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, yesterday said President Tinubu condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the accident and prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
The statement said the President described the incident as a harrowing tragedy and directed the agency responsible for emergency response to immediately move in and ensure that those injured in the accident receive the necessary treatment at the highest quality and with alacrity.
“President Tinubu implores citizens to be vigilant and safety conscious as they travel during this festive season, and always,” it stated.
