The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reported a tragic auto accident in Kano State, specifically at Zakirai town on the Kano-Ringim Road in Gabasawa Local Government Area. It is feared that at least 18 passengers lost their lives in the incident, while 12 others sustained various injuries. Fortunately, five individuals managed to escape unharmed. The accident involved two commercial vehicles, and some of the deceased were given mass burials at the scene, while others were handed over to their families.
The confirmation of the incident was made by Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Kano State FRSC Sector Commander, through a press statement issued by the sector’s spokesman, Mr. Abdullahi Labaran. The FRSC received a distress call about the accident at around 8:35 p.m. on Friday and promptly dispatched personnel to the scene for rescue operations.
The commander attributed the cause of the accident to factors such as excessive speeding, dangerous driving, and overloading, which resulted in a head-on collision and the subsequent ignition of one of the vehicles. Out of the total 35 passengers in the two buses involved, 18 were tragically burned beyond recognition, while 12 others suffered varying degrees of serious injuries. The injured victims were immediately rushed to Murtala Mohammed General Hospital in Kano for medical treatment.
In light of this unfortunate incident, Ibrahim advised motorists to refrain from behaviors such as speeding, overloading, wrongful overtaking, dangerous driving, and any other violations that may lead to road accidents. He expressed regret over the high number of preventable road crashes recorded in Kano State during the past week. During a visit to the crash scene on Saturday, the sector commander cautioned drivers, especially those traveling between cities and states, to avoid overloading, excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking, and other traffic infractions.
The FRSC is determined to combat the escalating trend of fatal intercity auto accidents and has vowed to intensify public awareness campaigns and conduct rigorous patrols, including the operation of mobile courts, to address this issue effectively.
