5 Killed As Niger Governor Bago’s Convoy Collides With Car

Five people, including four male students and a young woman, have been killed in a road crash involving a vehicle in the convoy of Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, in Minna, the state capital.

The accident occurred at about 11:35 a.m. on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community along the Minna–Bida Road, following a head-on collision between a Hilux van in the governor’s convoy and a private Peugeot 206 car.

The young woman, identified as Mrs Nafisa, was driving the Peugeot and reportedly died at the scene. She was said to be an NGO staff member, a programme manager at Labspace and the founder of Wosh Mart Service Ltd.

According Vanguard,  a resident of Gidan Mangoro, Abdullahi Musa, said that the accident happened as the governor and his entourage were returning from Bida, where they had paid a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, over the death of Sagi Nupe, Hajia Aisha.

Musa said the occupants of the private car were suspected to be postgraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

According to him, the crash was caused by wrongful overtaking by the Hilux van in the governor’s convoy.

“The people in the private car died instantly, while those in the government Hilux sustained serious injuries, with the driver dying on the spot.

“The accident was caused by wrongful overtaking by the Hilux in the governor’s convoy. The other car was in its lane when the Hilux rammed into it,” he said.

A staff member of Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken, revealed that three people died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.

“Some of the injured victims were subsequently referred to IBB Specialist Hospital for advanced medical care,” the staff member said.

The report added that one of the occupants of the Hilux was a former local government council chairman in Niger State who sustained fractures to his legs but was alive as of the time of filing the report.

The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the crash but said officers arrived at the scene after the victims had been evacuated to the hospital.

Similarly, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident and said an investigation was ongoing.

“The accident occurred this morning and we are investigating it,” Abiodun said.

He did not disclose the identities or the number of people who died in the crash.