A road traffic crash at Gaya Junction along the Kano-Maiduguri Expressway in Kano State has claimed the lives of 11 persons with 16 others injured.
Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano State Sector Command, A.A. Labaran, in a statement on Saturday evening, noted that preliminary investigations indicated that the probable cause of the crash was over-speeding, resulting in loss of control, crashing and subsequent fire outbreak.
He said the crash, which involved two vehicles – a Toyota hummer bus with registration number KTG 190 XB and a Hijet mini Pick-up with registration number KTG 501 YG – occurred on Friday at about 3:45pm.
According to him, a total of 28 individuals were involved in the crash, with 11 fatalities and 16 injuries reported while one person was rescued unhurt from the wreckage.
“In response to this tragic event, the injured victims were swiftly transported to Gaya General Hospital for urgent medical attention, while the deceased were respectfully laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony.
“Sector Commander CC IS Abdullahi expressed profound sorrow over the incident and emphasised the importance of compliance with road safety rules and regulations,” he stated.
While advising commercial drivers to ensure installation of Speed Limit device on their vehicles to avoid crashes resulting from speed limit violations, he warned drivers to refrain from committing traffic offenses such as speed violations and overloading of vehicles with passengers, animals, or goods.
Labaran also restated the Sector Command’s commitment to ensuring the safety of road users and will continue to intensify efforts in enforcing traffic regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future.