An unidentified driver of a mini commercial bus ‘Korope’ died yesterday in an accident on the Olaiya overhead bridge in Osogbo, Osun State capital
An eyewitness, Mrs. Funmi Adeyemo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the bus veered off the road and collided with a vehicle parked by the roadsideresulting in the death of the driver while some passengers sustained injuries.
“One of the passengers attempted to take control of the bus before it collided with a Toyota corolla car parked by the roadside,” she said.
According to her, another passenger jumped out of the moving bus and hit her head on the ground, sustaining injuries on her head and eyes .
”I saw people shouting as the vehicle lost control, but a female passenger managed to steer the vehicle down the bridge before it collided with a vehicle parked on the roadside.”
Benamaisia said the injured passengers were taken to the hospital while the body was deposited in the morgue.
Benamaisia appealed to road users to be safety conscious when driving and to refrain from consumption of drugs, alcohol or any harmful substances while driving.
Three persons were confirmed dead, while seven others sustained injuries in an accident involving two vehicles at Conoil filling station axis on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Saturday.
Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State, Mrs. Florence Okpe, confirmed the accident in a statement yesterday in Abeokuta.
She said the accident occurred at 9:23pm and it involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number RLG 846 XA and a trailer marked JJN 32 YX.
Okpe said the accident was caused by speeding, which led to loss of control on the part of the driver.
The FRSC spokesperson added that 18 people, comprising 16 men and two women, were involved in the accident.
She said seven persons were injured, while three persons died from the crash.
Okpe said the injured victims were taken to Idera Hospital, Sagamu, for medical attention and the deceased were deposited at the morgue of the same hospital.
According to her, the Sector Commander, Anthony Uga, urged motorists “to consider this period of high vehicular movement and poor visibility due to weather condition.”
Uga, while condemning speeding among motorists, said: “Common sense speed limit is the best.”
The Nigerian Army clearly committed an p‘unintentional error’ by dropping or detonating armed drones on the quiet community of Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday 3, November, killing over 100 people.
Both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani have since ordered thorough investigation of the unfortunate incident, after Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt. Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, openly admitted that the drones from the Nigerian army did the damages and commiserated with the community and the state at large, especially given that the incident happened while the residents were celebrating a Muslim festival.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has also led a high-powered delegation from Abuja to the state and the afflicted community. Nigeria’s Armed Forces often rely on air strikes in their battle against bandit militias in the North-west and North-east of the country, where insurgency has been on-going for more than a decade.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu describes the incident as very unfortunate, disturbing and painful, expressing indignation and grief over the tragic loss of Nigerian lives,” the presidency said in a statement.The army had said its drone was a routine mission that “inadvertently affected members of the community”.
Witnesses said that the celebration was in progress around 9:45 to 9:50 p.m. when the first bomb dropped, killing about 56 people, most of them women and children. They described the scene as total chaos, especially when survivors began calling family members of victims from nearby villages to come to the scene, identifying and carrying dead bodies and helping those injured.
They said that at around 11 p.m., a second bomb was dropped, killing many responders from nearby villages.The flip side of this unfortunate incident is that it has showcased not the leadership qualities of Governor Uba Sani but how much he has united the people of Kaduna State in just a short while, irrespective of religion, political persuasion or tribe.
A visibly angry Sani, who said he had been trying to “calm the people down and make them understand that the government will fight for justice,” condemned the statement by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, that the bombing incident occurred because terrorists always mingled with residents of the community, adding that he would write to the Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lieutenant General Toareed Lagabja, to ask that the statement be withdrawn.
“It is careless. The community is calm because Gen. Lagbaja had earlier taken responsibility for the error bombing. If you visit the hospital and see what is happening, you would condemn statements like this,” Governor Sani said and added that in spite of the gaffe, he would continue to give his support to the military in their fight against insurgency and banditry in the country.
Interestingly, the staunchest backers of Governor Sani and the affected community of Tudun Biri village, which is largely a Muslim community, is the Christian community in Kaduna State. The Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who attended the meeting convened by the governor during the visit of the vice-president to the community, Rev. Joseph Hayap, said that tempers were still high over the bombing.
He praised the governor for wanting to avoid divisive persons and groups in the undergoing healing process in Kaduna State. That ‘wise’ step would douse the building tension over the incident, he said.
“I am happy with the governor for pledging that he will not allow politics to affect the successful process of attending to the victims,” Hayap said. The Kaduna State CAN chairman said all Governor Sani has been doing since he assumed office is to “carry everyone in Kaduna State along.”
Hayap said that in less than seven months,l Sani has almost solved lingering ethnic, tribal and religious issues in Kaduna. “At such a young age, he carries every facet of Kaduna along like an old man. I must confess that Kaduna State is lucky to have Sani as Governor this period,” the Kaduna State CAN Chairman said.
He however expressed disgust with the use of the words, “error bombing” in questions over the incident. He queried: “We should interrogate what the military claims to be intelligence. Mistake bombing is becoming a yearly occurrence. There was a mistaken bombing that destroyed a church in Kaduna a few years ago. Where is their professionalism? Can we have innocent Nigerians killed regularly and say it is a mistake.”
Investigation shows that “error bombing” has gone on for too long to warrant urgent attention and concern for the root causes of what appears to be a deadly pattern.The governor blamed the incident on a lack of proper information and coordination among the Armed Forces. He ensured that the government was doing its best to ensure the best treatment for hospitalized victims.
Meanwhile, Governor Sani, who has flooded the community with relief materials, has commended President Tinubu for his quick intervention by pledging to support the victims’ families and rebuild the community.
“What is confirmed by the community families visited directly is that we have lost 86 persons. Eighty-six were killed at the beginning; we took 76 to the hospital. Out of this figure, one person died on Thursday. Though, we are now aware that the number of casualties is increasing. In fact some persons are saying more than 120. I can’t give the exact number now. But my team members and I are gathering data and monitoring the community on a daily basis.
“The incident happened due to insufficient information and coordination among the Armed Forces,” he said.
Ms Abimbola, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja
Five persons reportedly died and 11 others were injured in an accident on the Calabar-Itu highway in Akwa Ibom State.
The accident, which happened at the weekend, involved a Nissan Caravan (GWB 532 XY) and an unregistered Mark Truck.
A statement yesterday by the Sector Commander Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Akwa Ibom Command, Matthew Olonisaye. attributed the accident to over-speeding.
The statement signed by the Public Enlightenment Officer, Paul James, reads: “A fatal crash happened on December 2 along the Itu/Calabar road, by Ayadehe, about 1510hrs. “Eleven men and five women were involved, and three women and two men were confirmed dead, while the others sustained injuries of various degrees.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the injured were moved to nearby hospitals for treatment while the bodies were deposited at the morgue.”
Multiple auto accidents have claimed no fewer than 25 persons in Kwara State.
About 15 persons also sustained serious injuries in the accident, which occurred around 4pm on Tuesday, it was gathered.
Fire service source said the accident occurred at Peke, Okoolowo area along Jebba-Bode-Saadu road in Moro Local Government of Kwara State. The crash involved a petrol tanker, truck and an 18-seater bus.
Spokesperson for the state Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said “the accident involved a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW, a heavy-duty truck, and an 18-seater bus.
“The firemen diligently worked to quench the inferno, but unfortunately, 25 lives were lost, and around 15 people were rescued with injuries.
Investigations revealed that the petrol tanker, travelling from Niger State, was using the wrong side of the road, resulting in a head-on collision with a heavy-duty truck from Lagos State.”
“The collision ignited a fire that rapidly consumed both vehicles, also affecting the 18-seater bus from Lagos.”
He urged road users to prioritise “safe driving practices, issuing a warning to adhere to safety measures consistently.”
It was gathered that the 18-passenger bus was returning from Kano after the band had performed at the Presidential Commissioning and Passing–Out-Parade of the 48th Superintendent Basic Course 2023, at the Immigration Training School, Kano.
The event was attended by the Acting Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, Mrs. Wuraola Adepoju, and other top management members.
A video requesting confirmation of the accident posted on the NIS Media platform in Abuja was deleted by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Dr Dotun Aridegbe. Aridegbe only responded by saying ‘we are in a very pensive mood right now’.
However, about eight bodies were counted around the badly damaged Immigration vehicle, even as unconfirmed report said all the band members died in the accident.
Five persons died and one person was injured in yesterday’s accident on the Ijebu-Ode/Ore Expressway.
The accident, which happened about 6.09am, at Ososa junction, involved two unmarked vehicles – a Mack truck and a Honda Accord car. It was learnt that the Honda Accord driver was speeding and had a side collision with the truck while trying to overtake it.
A statement by the Chief Route Commander and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Public Education Officer, Ogun Sector Command, Florence Okpe, said the bodies were deposited at the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital morgue.
Mrs. Okpe described the accident as avoidable ‘if caution had been taken’. She added that the sector commander advised motorists to stop making quick turning on the expressway, and instead use the intersection or proper turning point.
The statement reads: “Eight persons were involved in the accident, seven males and one female. One person was injured and five persons (four males and one female) died, while two persons were unhurt.
“The injured were taken to General Hospital Ijebu-Ode, and the bodies deposited at the morgue.”
Three persons died yesterday while one sustained serious injuries in a road accident along the Itamaga-Ijede road in Ikorodu, near Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accident, which occurred at about 8:05 a.m., involved a Toyota Camry car and a tricycle.
The car, which was on high speed, crossed the other side of the road and rammed into the tricycle, killing three passengers – one adult and two school children on the spot.
One of the injured, a secondary school pupil, who relapsed into comma, was rushed to hospital along with the tricycle driver for medical attention.
The driver of the Camry car, however, took to his heels immediately after the incident.
A witness on the scene of the incident, said the car was heading toward Ijede, a community in Ikorodu and was on top speed, making it impossible for the driver to control the vehicle before it rammed into the tricycle, which was heading for Ikorodu garage.
The crash occurred near Cele bus-stop at Ijede in Ijede Local Council Development Area. NAN learnt that police operatives later came to the scene of the accident and towed the tricycle and the car to the police station in Ijede.
