19 Passengers Burnt Beyond Recognition In Kogi Highway Disaster

A vehicular accident on the Okene-Lokoja expressway in Kogi state on Sunday resulted in deaths of 19 individuals.

The Federal Road Safety Corps' (FRSC) public education officer, Jonas Agwu, reported that the accident included a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KMC455ZE and a Dangote truck with registration details NSH680YJ.

The FRSC reports that the truck's route violation caused both cars to collide head-on, igniting a fire.

Three of the 22 passengers—all men—were rescued, according to the agency.

He said: “The TYT bus loaded from Kano was on its lane on the highway when the Dangote Truck driver who drove all the way from Port Harcourt wrongfully overtook a vehicle & collided head-on with the bus. The impact of the collision resulted in an inferno that burnt the victims to death. 

“Unfortunately, 19 people out of the 22 victims were killed and 1 injured. The remaining 2 victims who got rescued by FRSC operatives without injuries survived the crash because they complied with traffic regulations on compulsory use of seatbelt.

“The corpses of the dead victims whose lives were claimed by the crash have been deposited at Okene General Hospital.”

The FRSC corps marshal, Dauda Biu, stated that the organization will carry on prosecuting drivers who, by their acts, cause traffic accidents in Nigeria.

Biu also urged the judiciary, transport union leadership, and other pertinent parties in the road transportation industry to collaborate with the corps in order to guarantee the prompt and efficient prosecution of offenders.