Two corps members, infant, driver killed in Niger crash

Tragedy struck on Wednesday when a commercial bus conveying 18 passengers from Lagos to Kano crashed at Dadin-Kowa village along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway, Niger State, killing two prospective corps members, the driver and a baby.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the accident occurred around 6.50 am in the Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
Hundeyin noted that the driver reportedly lost control of the bus, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and plunge into a bridge.

He also stated that a team of policemen who arrived at the scene discovered that 13 of the passengers were prospective National Youth Service Corps members deployed to Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina and Kano for their three-week orientation exercise.

The statement partly read, “At about 6:50 am, there occurred a fatal accident involving a Hummer bus vehicle conveying 18 passengers on board from Lagos to Kano, but on reaching Dadin-Kowa village along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, Tafa LGA, Niger State, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, skidded off the road and fell into a bridge.

“A team of policemen quickly moved to the scene, and it was discovered that 13 out of the 18 passengers were prospective corps members deployed to Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina, and Kano, respectively, for their three-week orientation course. As a result of this, one ‘f’, another ‘m’, both corps members, and the driver, with a little baby owned by one of the injured female corps members, name not yet known, were confirmed dead.”

The statement added that the remaining 11 corps members were taken to Abuja by the NYSC director for treatment.

Five other passengers who also sustained injuries were said to have been conveyed to the Umar Yaradua Hospital, Tafa.
The statement added that four victims were treated and discharged, while the remaining one was responding to treatment.

Hundeyin stated that investigations into the crash were ongoing.

When contacted on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Corps Commander Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the agency had yet to receive details of the incident.

He said, “We have not got details about the incident yet. I will contact you as soon as we have the information.”

He had yet to revert to our correspondent as of the time of writing this report.

The Abuja–Kaduna Highway is one of Nigeria’s busiest and most notorious routes due to frequent accidents.

PUNCH Metro reported in September 2024 that no fewer than 21 travellers were feared to have lost their lives in a devastating road accident that occurred along the axis.

The tragic incident involved a truck and a passenger Hummer bus heading to Kano and Batsari town in Katsina State.