By Damilare Adeleye
A passenger bus conveying twenty people from Kano heading to Markudi in Benue state has crashed at Taban Sani Junction, Tashar Yari along the Zaria-Kano expressway.
It was reported that the accident, which occurred on Sunday at 11.20am, claimed 16 lives and while 4 others sustained varying degrees of injures
A statement issued by Kabir Nadabo, Kaduna Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), said the lone accident was attributed to overspeeding that led to the driver losing control of the vehicle and ramming into a ditch.
The statement read, “There was a tragic Road Traffic crash involving a Toyota Bus with registration number TRB 674ZG 35XB traveling from Kano State to Makurdi which occurred at Taban Sani Junction, Tashar Yari along Zaria-Kano expressway, on 21st January 2024 at 11:20hrs. The accident was a lone one caused by overspeeding where the driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a ditch.’
‘’An initial investigation of the crash revealed that 20 people were involved, 4 were injured, and sadly, 16 people lost their lives. The injured were conveyed to Makarfi General Hospital for immediate treatment while the deceased were deposited at ABU Teaching Hospital, Shika in Zaria along with the passenger Manifest to help in identifying the lost ones as well as reaching out to their families respectively.
‘’As the lead agency in transport Management and Road safety, the Federal Road safety corps is saddened by this unfortunate but avoidable incident. The Corps in Kaduna state will continue to perform its statutory duty of saving lives and properties and most fundamentally, creating awareness of the dangers of Road safety vices and unethical road culture.
‘’Kaduna State is a critical corridor, therefore the State Command has established instruments of safety that will guide transporters on the importance of safe travels at all times.
‘’I want to call on stakeholders, particularly the transport unions to help us reach out and advocate the language of safety to their drivers. In the same vein, the Corps is liaising with media outlets to better inform the public on the dangers of Dangerous driving, overloading, driving with worn-out tyres, fatigues, caused by long journeys, etc.’’