Road accident involving wedding guests travelling a shorter route
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A road accident on the Plateau at the weekend led to the death of 19 people and left 11 others injured, all of whom were wedding guests who had travelled from Kano.
The accident occurred around Kwanan Maciji in Pankshin Council of Plateau when they were returning home from the wedding held in Barkin Ladi Council on Saturday.
Pankshin Council Emergency Management Committee Chairman John Dasar confirmed the incident, describing it as devastating. He said the victims were travelling a shorter route through Gindiri to Bauchi when their vehicle was involved in an accident.
“In the aftermath of the crash, bystanders were helping to evacuate passengers from the vehicle when it suddenly caught fire,” Dasar told Leadership.
“Unfortunately, 19 of the occupants were trapped and burnt beyond recognition. The driver and a few others managed to survive.”
The 11 survivors, some of whom sustained serious injuries, were taken to the Pankshin General Hospital for treatment.
More people killed in road crashes than by terrorists, FRSC laments
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Kano Sector Commander, Umar Matazu, announced in December that road traffic accidents cause more fatalities than terrorist attacks in the country.
Matazu made the disclosure when he visited the new leadership of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kano, where he underscored the high number of fatalities from road crashes that have to be reduced.
He pitched for greater media support in raising awareness on road safety and adherence to traffic regulations.
“There is no way you have an attack killing more than 10 people, but in a traffic crash, you can have more than 40 people killed. From October until now, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes is higher than those killed by terrorists or bandits,” Matazu lamented.
NUJ Kano Council Chairman Suleiman Dederi, represented by Vice Chairman Mustapha Gambo, gave an assurance to the FRSC of the council’s full support in road safety efforts.
He also commended the age-long cordial relationship between the NUJ and the FRSC.
Read also:
Social pressure on him to get married drives Uber operator to suicide
