The Nation Newspaper

Tag: road accident

  • Nine die in Edo road accident 

    Nine die in Edo road accident 

    Nine persons were on Tuesday morning killed in a road accident involving a tipper and a commercial bus driver.

    The accident occurred at about 6am along Upper Sokponba road near Oka market in Ikpoba-Okha local government area.

    All the passengers in the commercial bus marked BEN 435 ZN died.

    Six of the passengers including a pregnant woman died on the spot while others died at the hospital they were rushed to.

    Eye witnesses said the tipper rammed into the commercial bus after it parked to pick a passenger.

    The incident sparked protest from family members, friends and other commercial drivers plying the route.

    Bon fires were set on the road while commercial drivers suspended work which made passengers to trek long distance.

    The protesters set the tipper ablaze but the driver was not seen.

    At the Central Hospital morgue, families were seen coming in to identify their relatives.

    It was not however confirmed whether the baby in the deceased pregnant woman was rescued.

    When contacted for comments, Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Samuel Odukoya, confirmed the incident and said nine persons were confirmed dead.

    He said the protesters prevented his men from getting access to the scene.

    A bus driver who gave his name as Osas said they decided not to work to protest reckless driving of tipper drivers.

     

     

  • NDDC MD escapes death in Calabar-Itu road accident

    NDDC MD escapes death in Calabar-Itu road accident

    The Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Nsima Ekere has escaped death following a ghastly motor accident on his convoy Thursday.

    The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday along the Calabar-Itu high way when a trailer rammed into the pilot vehicle carrying policemen attached to the NDDC Managing Director.

    Mr. Ekere and others were on their way to Calabar, Cross River capital to receive Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who is on a working visit to the state.

    During the accident, a policeman in the pilot vehicle, whose identity could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report died while several others sustained different degrees of injuries.

    It was learnt that the body of the deceased police officer has been deposited in the hospital morgue while those that sustained injuries were rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Uyo, the state capital.

    A statement which was released shortly after the road accident by the NDDC’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Toye Abosede said: “the convoy of the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima.Ekere, has been involved in a road mishap.

    “The incident, along the Calabar-Itu Road, occurred when a trailer ran into the pilot vehicle carrying policemen attached to the NDDC Managing Director who was on his way to Calabar to receive the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

    “The victims were immediately taken to a nearby hospital where they are receiving urgent medical attention for injuries. Unfortunately, one of the policemen could not be saved. Members of the entourage in other vehicles were unhurt in the unfortunate incident.”

     

  • Final year student dies in road accident

    Final year student dies in road accident

    Members of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Television College (TV COLLEGE) in Jos, the Plateau State capital, were thrown into mourning last Wednesday, following the death of a final year Television Journalism student.

    Brenda Dachomo Abel, 26, died in a road accident on her way to Lagos to buy goods to start her business. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the late student had planned the journey in March, but postponed it till after the college’s first semester examination, which was concluded last week.

    Details about the accident were sketchy at press time, but it was learnt that the late Brenda was travelling in a passenger bus.

    Her course mates were shocked on learning about her death. Daniel Tsafa, who said the late Brenda sat close to him during the examination, became agitated when the news broke.

    “How can such a lively lady die like that?” Daniel screamed, as he relived their moments together.

    He said: “I have fond memories of her throughout our examination period. She was lively and elegant all through the period. Every student got fascinated by her welcoming and quiet nature. She was studious and her determination to excel in academics was not hidden.

    “She was likely to be the most reserved student in our department. Her life will remain a reference point for courage, decency and beauty. We have lost a rare gem.”

    Another classmate, James Dayak, said: “The late Brenda was a good friend and sister. She was always smiling. One thing about her is that, she made students laugh whenever we were having challenges. We will miss her.”‎

    Shedrach Mwanse said the late Brenda got close to him about a month ago. “She was a wonderful friend, despite that I knew her about a month ago. We shared a bond that people would think I have known her for years. She was a lady with strong heart and good goals. When she called me that she was travelling to Lagos, I never it was the last time I would speak to her.”

    The remains of the late Brenda have been deposited at Plateau Specialist Hospital. The body would be interred in her Kassa Heipang hometown in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

  • Caring for road accident victims

    Caring for road accident victims

    A lot of innocent victims of road accidents have died for lack of financial support for their medical treatments. They were innocent passengers in the vehicle of a careless driver or a victim of another careless road user.
    Some of these innocent victims even died because there was no Police report needed to commence their treatment early enough.
    Many families have been thrown into debts because one or more innocent member(s) of their families were victims of accidents not caused by them.
    These innocent victims could be likened to victims of man-made or natural disasters for whom governments and humanitarian agencies do provide free treatments and relief materials without any form of transfer of initial direct costs to their family members. There are also no clogs as to the procurement of police reports or deposit of money at hospitals before the commencement of treatments. This is because the hospitals know that the cost of the treatments administered on them will be fully borne by the governments and or the humanitarian agencies. This makes the number of lives saved in such disasters higher compared to what happens to victims of road traffic accidents whose burdens are unfortunately left for their family members to bear.
    Not long ago, I witnessed an accident scene along Ogbomosho-Ilorin road where innocent victims were screaming in their pools of blood while sympathisers stood helplessly for fear of being roped if they attempted to take them to hospitals before the arrival of officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Nigeria Police. Some of the victims died for lack of prompt attention.
    There is, therefore, an urgent need for the Federal and state government to come up with a policy and Executive pronouncement that victims of road accidents should be given prompt assistance and treatment by whoever (Members of the public) and whichever agency gets to the scene first. Governments should take up the responsibility of financing the treatment of the victims of road accidents as well as the provision of necessary after-treatment care and support with the relevant insurance supports.
    The policy statement shuld also include the arrest and prosecution of the surviving drivers (whoever caused the accidents if he or she escapes or survives).
    When road and/or road furniture are damaged in the course of the crash, those found guilty must be made to repair or replace such infrastructures.
    These and allied actions if taken, will improve the safety-consciousness of drivers, reduce the rate of accidents and deaths as well as instil hope in the vehicle occupants as citizens of Nigeria.

  • Three die, five injured in Ondo road crash

    Three die, five injured in Ondo road crash

    Three persons have been reported dead, while five others injured in a road accident at Uso, along Akure/Owo road in Ondo

    State.

    It was learnt that the accident, claimed the life of an octogenarian and two brothers who were said to be siblings.

    An eye witness said the carnage which involved two vehicles occurred as a result of excessive speed of the drivers of the two ill-fated vehicles.

    One of the vehicles, a Toyota Highlander jeep was said to be heading to Akure from Abuja, while the other vehicle, a bus was going to Owo.

    It was gathered that the two vehicles were on high speed when the driver of the Toyota Highlander swerved to the other side of the road in an attempt to avoid a pothole, a situation which caused collision of the two vehicles.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state police command, Mr Femi Joseph confirmed the accident, saying the two vehicles have already been impounded.

    He said the police were already investigating the cause of the accident.

    Joseph urged motorists and other road users to avoid excessive speeding on highways.

  • Pastor, three others die in Bayelsa crash

    A pastor identified as Adama and three other persons have been feared dead in a motors accident that occurred along the Ammassoma-Yenagoa road in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that many others sustained various degrees of injuries in the crash that happened at about 3pm on Sunday.

    Among the injured casualties was a 300-level student of the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Miss Debora Willimor.

    Willimor had a broken leg and was rushed to the Gloryland Medical Centre but was later relocated to a traditional bone healer by her family.

    Eyewitnesses said that the accident involved a 14-seater bus and a private car adding that over-speeding and reckless overtaking caused the crash.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Butwat Asinim, who confirmed the incident gave the registration number of the bus and the car as Yen 279 KA AU 162 USL.

    He said the vehicles were involved in head-on collision.

    Bayelsa Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) could not give details of the accident as most of its personnel said they were yet to visit the accident scene.

    But Butswat said one person was confirmed dead on the spot.

    One of the survivors of the accident, identified as Miss Tare, a clerical officer at the Federal University, Otuoke said they were returning to Yenagoa from Amasoma when the incident happened.

    She thanked God for surviving the accident.

  • Four die, three injured in Ogun auto crash

    Four persons were killed in auto crash which also left three other people injured along the Abeokuta – Ibadan expressway.

    The accident which occurred on Wednesday night at Alakija village near Olodo in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun state involved a truck conveying cement   and a  Toyota Picnic  marked (OYO) BDJ 427 SX.

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the state Traffic Compliance and Enforcement agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi who confirmed the accident, said the driver of the Toyota Picnic  car crashed into the truck marked YKS 194 XA,  from the rear.

    According to Akinbiyi, the driver of the Toyota Picnic and three other passengers died at the scene of the crash while  three other passengers were critically wounded but the  truck driver and his boy, came out unscathed.

    He noted that  the accident resulted from over-speeding on the part of the driver of Toyota Picnic car.

    Akinbiyi however added that the remains of the dead were kept at the morgue of the State General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta while the injured are receiving treatment at a private hospital in Odeda town.

     

  • Eight die in Hadejia-Kano road accident

    Eight die in Hadejia-Kano road accident

    No fewer than eight persons died in an accident involving a car and a jeep on Hadejia-Kano road in Kaugama Local Government Area of Jigawa.

    Mr Adamu Abdullahi, the spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state, said the accident occurred on Sunday evening.

    “Our men were returning from Hadejia when the accidents happened and they assisted in rescuing survivors and taking those who died on the spot to a nearby hospital,’’ Abdullahi said.

    An eye witness, who gave his name Alhaji Salisu Sani, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the accident occurred when an articulated vehicle took wrong overtaking that resulted in collision by the two vehicles.

    Jigawa Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission Angus Ibezim confirmed the incident, saying: “We received a report about it and we are not happy about it.’’

    He advised motorists to desist from speeding under whatever circumstances.

  • 46 per cent of deaths caused by road accident in Oyo

    Junior Chamber International (JCI), has disclosed that research reveals that about 46.73 per cent of deaths in Oyo State occur as a result of road accidents.

    The President of JCI, Ibadan Chapter, Olawale Bakare, stated this yesterday during a press conference to herald a training for truck drivers with the theme ‘Safe Highways Project.

    According to Bakare, one of the primary challenges is that a percentage of drivers take up commercial driving out of desperation for a source of income and not because they either enjoy driving or even know how to drive properly.

    The JCI President said:For instance, drivers in Nigeria, Oyo State in particular need to be reminded that they are not in a race with other road users. More often than not, drivers have different destinations and that should make them mindful that allowing another vehicle a right of way will not prevent them  from arriving at their destination in good time.

    ‘The urge to accelerate when another vehicle approaches to overtake or that dangerous struggle to manoeuvre and gain passage before another vehicle, are Nigerian road cultures which often cause damage to vehicles and lives.’

  • Nine die, 10 injured in Lagos accident

    Nine die, 10 injured in Lagos accident

    Nine persons including four children were on Friday morning confirmed dead after a commercial bus collided with a truck in Lagos.

    This is just as 10 other occupants of the Toyata Hiace bus from Katsina marked KT 715YG sustained varying injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

    Although the incident occurred at Fadeyi bus stop on Ikorodu road at about 5am, The Nation gathered that it caused heavy traffic congestion on the expressway.

    It was learnt that the bus driver was over speeding and lost control, hitting a covert.

    The vehicle, it was learnt somersaulted and veered to the other side of the road, ramming into a heavy duty truck marked GGE715YG.

    It took the intervention of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), LASAMBUS, some passersby to rescue some of the victims trapped in the vehicle.

    Confirming the accident, the General Manager LASEMA Michael Akindele said it was caused by carelessness.

    “A total number of nine people lost their lives in the incident. Five adult (four male and a female) and four children (two male, two female).

    10 others sustained injuries and were taken to the Emergency Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate.

    “Drivers should be cautious and avoid over speeding as well as comply with road traffic code to prevent unnecessary accident leading to loss of lives,” he said.