At least 19 people have lost their lives and several others sustained injuries in two separate road crashes recorded in Edo and Taraba States.
In Edo State, 12 persons were confirmed dead while 14 others were injured in a tragic accident that occurred over the weekend at Egono community along the Auchi–Ewu–Benin highway.
The crash reportedly happened when a speeding truck transporting both passengers and goods attempted a risky overtaking manoeuvre, lost control and overturned.
Confirming the incident, the Edo State spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Patricia Onwochei, said the crash was caused by wrongful overtaking. She added that one victim had been buried, while 11 bodies were deposited at the St. Lazarus Hospital mortuary.
In a separate incident in Taraba State, seven people—including two children and two women—died in a crash that occurred at about 4:40 pm on Tuesday in the Garbabi area of Gashaka Local Government Area.
The accident involved a commercial vehicle carrying 11 passengers from Bali to Serti, the headquarters of Gashaka LGA. The vehicle was said to have collided head-on with an oncoming trailer while negotiating a sharp bend near Kabarin Baturi village along the Bali–Serti road.
An official of the Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Bali branch, Haruna Lukman, confirmed that all seven victims died instantly. He said personnel of NARTO, police officers, and bystanders assisted in evacuating the bodies and the injured to Bali General Hospital.
Lukman also noted that the vehicle, designed to carry six passengers, was frequently overloaded with up to nine passengers due to rising fuel costs and alleged extortion by security operatives along the route.
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