Twelve adults and three children have lost their lives following a fatal car accident that occurred in Mairuwa, on the Funtua-Sokoto route, Katsina State.
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Shehu Mohammed, lamented the incident which took place on Saturday, 9 November, 2024 at around 11am, saying it was not only avoidable and preventable, but highly condemnable.
TheFact Daily reports that the accident occurred when the driver of a Toyota Hiace Bus with registration number MRR 83 XA loaded with passengers from Zamfara, heading to the southern part of the country, lost control of the vehicle after a tyre burst in Mairuwa village.
The vehicle eventually rammed head-on onto a Sino Truck belonging to Dangote Group, after the driver’s failed attempts to regain control of the vehicle.
Report of rescue operations conducted indicates that a total of 28 people were involved comprising of 23 male adults, 1 female adult, 1 male child, and 3 female children.
Of this number, 13 victims were rescued with varying injuries, while unfortunately, the other 15 victims, including 3 female children were killed. Most of the casualties were passengers of the bus.
The rescued victims have been taken to Funtua General Hospital for immediate medical attention.
Decrying the sad yet avoided incident, the FRSC chief noted that if the driver had observed established legal speed limits, ensured adequate vehicle maintenance and complied with traffic regulations the crash would have been averted.
While sighting instances of how bad driving behaviours led to avoidable road crashes in recent times, the Corps Marshal maintained that if drivers do the right thing, issues relating to crashes and fatalities will be a thing of the past in Nigeria.
He stated that the enormous responsibility of keeping the roads safe rests on the shoulders of everyone, and as such, called on transport unions, fleet operators and other vehicle owners to sensitise their drivers on the imperatives of ensuring routine and regular maintenance of their vehicles.
