By Daily Review Online
No fewer than 18 residents of Sokoto State have died in a tragic road accident along the Sokoto–Yauri highway in Kebbi State while returning home from Lagos, where they had travelled in search of better livelihoods.
The victims were among 20 passengers travelling in an 18-seater commercial bus that reportedly collided head-on with a trailer around 11 p.m. on Monday. Eighteen people died at the scene, while two others sustained injuries.
An eyewitness said the passengers were returning to Sokoto after spending some time in Lagos.
A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Bello Muhammad, who participated in the evacuation, said he and other community members arrived at the crash site around 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
“We were informed that our colleague had been involved in a road accident shortly after Yauri town. By the time we arrived, 18 people had already died and the vehicle was completely wrecked,” he said.
According to him, the bodies were taken to the General Hospital in Yauri, where relatives identified them before they were released for burial.
Muhammad said he personally transported the bodies of victims from Kajiji Ward to their communities. He identified some of the deceased as the driver, Manniru Sabo, Basiru Shehu, both from Kajiji village, and another resident of Kajiji Ward.
He added that seven victims were from Bingaje and Gudirriga villages in Yabo Local Government Area, while two others were from Gada Local Government Area. The remaining victims were from other communities across Sokoto State.
He explained that passengers travelling from Lagos to Sokoto are usually picked up from different communities across the state, accounting for the diverse origins of the victims.
Muhammad disclosed that some of the victims would be buried in Yauri because their bodies were severely damaged in the crash, while others had already been buried in their hometowns according to Islamic rites.
Another resident, Alhaji Shehu Jabo, described the tragedy as heartbreaking, saying many of the bodies were badly mutilated, making identification difficult.
Jabo alleged that the trailer veered into the lane of the commercial bus, causing the fatal collision. He added that only one passenger was from Kebbi State, while the remaining occupants were from Sokoto. One of the two survivors, he said, was the bus conductor.
The Chairman of Shagari Local Government Area, Barrister Maidawa Kajiji, confirmed the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He prayed for the repose of the victims’ souls and for their families to find the strength to bear the loss.