Five people, including four male students and a young woman, have died in a fatal road accident involving a vehicle in Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s convoy along the Minna–Bida Road.
The crash occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community in Minna, following a head-on collision between a government-owned Toyota Hilux and a private Peugeot 206.
The woman, identified as Mrs Nafisa, was reportedly driving the Peugeot and died at the scene alongside the other occupants of the vehicle. She was said to work with a non-governmental organisation as a programme manager at Labspace and was also the founder of Wosh Mart Service Ltd.
The four male occupants of the car were suspected to be postgraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna).
Eyewitness Alleges Wrongful Overtaking
A resident of Gidan Mangoro, Abdullahi Musa, said the accident happened at about 11:35 a.m. as the governor’s convoy was returning from Bida.
According to the eyewitness, the Hilux allegedly attempted a wrongful overtaking manoeuvre before colliding with the Peugeot, which he claimed was travelling within its lane.
Musa said the occupants of the private vehicle died, while the driver of the government Hilux also lost his life. Other occupants of the government vehicle reportedly sustained serious injuries.
The account of the eyewitness has not been presented as an official finding on the cause of the accident.
Injured Victims Taken to Hospital
A staff member at Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken, said three people died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to their injuries.
Some of the injured victims were subsequently referred to the IBB Specialist Hospital for further medical treatment.
A former local government council chairman who was reportedly travelling in the government vehicle sustained fractures to his legs but was alive at the time of the report.
Police Begin Investigation
The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the accident, explaining that officers arrived after the victims had already been evacuated to hospital.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Superintendent Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the incident and said an investigation had commenced.
The police did not immediately disclose the identities of all the deceased or provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The crash has left families and the university community mourning the loss of five lives, as investigators work to establish the cause of the tragedy.
