Five people, including four male students and a young woman, have been killed in a fatal road crash involving a vehicle in the convoy of Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, in Minna, the state capital.
The accident occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community along the Minna–Bida Road when a Hilux van in the governor’s convoy reportedly collided head-on with a private Peugeot 206 car.
The woman, identified as Mrs Nafisa, was driving the Peugeot and reportedly died at the scene. She was said to be an NGO staff member, Programme Manager at Labspace and founder of Wosh Mart Service Ltd.
A Gidan Mangoro resident, Abdullahi Musa, told Vanguard that the crash happened at about 11:35 a.m. as Bago and his team 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 Peugeot were suspected to be postgraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
“The people in the private car died instantly, while those in the government Hilux sustained serious injuries with the driver dying on the spot,” he said.
He attributed the collision to alleged wrongful overtaking by the Hilux, claiming that the Peugeot was travelling in its lane when the government vehicle rammed into it.
“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,” Musa told Vanguard.
A staff member of Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken, said 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 hospital staff member said.
Vanguard also reported that a former Niger State local government council chairman who was among the occupants of the Hilux sustained fractures to his legs but was alive as of the time of the report.
The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the accident, explaining that her officers arrived after the victims had been evacuated to the hospital.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the crash and said an investigation was ongoing.
“The accident occurred this morning and we are investigating it,” Abiodun said.
The police spokesperson did not disclose the identities or exact number of the deceased.
