36 Die, 52 Injured In Kwara, Kebbi Auto Crashes

Two road accidents in Kwara and Kebbi States have claimed 36 lives, leaving 52 others injured.

In Kwara, 25 persons lost their lives in the accident which occurred at Peke village on the Oko-Olowo-Bode-Saadu Expressway in Moro local government area.

LEADERSHIP gathered that 15 persons also sustained varying degrees of injury in the fire that broke out after a petrol tanker and a heavy-duty truck collided.

The fire outbreak also affected an 18-seater bus, it was gathered.

In the Kebbi road mishap, 11 people died, while 37 were wounded and rushed to the hospital.

Sources said the fire incident in Kwara occurred when a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW and an 18-seater bus collided at about 3:18pm on Tuesday at Peke village along Ilorin- Bode Saadu Expressway.

The spokesman of Kwara State Fire Service, Hakeem Adekunle, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on yesterday.

He said 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.

“On November 28, 2023, around 15:18 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire at Peke village along Oko-Olowo – Bode Saadu expressway in Moro Local government area of Kwara State. The incident involved a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW, a heavy-duty truck, and an 18-seater bus.

“Investigations revealed that the petrol tanker, traveling 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.

“Expressing deep sorrow, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service emphasized the need for road users to prioritize safe driving practices, issuing a warning to adhere to safety measures consistently,” Adeleke stated.

Also, the Kebbi State police command yesterday confirmed the death of 11 people while 37 others were admitted at Koko General Hospital in an accident which involved a truck at Dadah village in Koko/Besse local government area.

Spokesperson of the command, Nafi’u Abubakar, who confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi metropolis, said the truck was coming from four local government areas in Sokoto State with 115 people, bags of beans and maize, as well as eight motorcycles to Lagos when it was involved in the accident.

Abubakar said on receiving the report of the incident by the police divisional office in Koko, the commissioner of police, Chris Aimionowane, rushed to the scene and visited the victims at Koko hospital where he sympathised with the relatives of the victims.

He also dispatched numbers to be contacted for the immediate identification and evacuation of the dead victims by their relatives.

The CP however prayed for the gentle souls of the deceased, applauding the intervention of officers at Koko division and the good Samaritans for the evacuation of both dead and injured victims to the nearest hospital.

He cautioned drivers from embarking on a night journey and also desisted from overloading while on long journeys.