BREAKING: Tears as 19 Passengers Die in Kaduna-Abuja Expressway Accident
- At least 19 people have been confirmed dead in an auto accident along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway
- Also, 34 others sustained injuries, according to the Kaduna state's commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan
- According to the commissioner, the accident was caused by speeding and other factors
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Not fewer than 19 passengers have reportedly lost their lives in an auto accident in Kateri along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway in the late hours of Sunday, March 22.
According to The Punch, a truck involved in the accident was said to be heading for Kano from Lagos when the incident happened.
Legit.ng gathers that the incident has been confirmed by the commissioner for internal security and home affairs in Kaduna state, Samuel Aruwan.
Source: Twitter
Aruwa explained that the accident was caused by speeding and an exploding tyre which led to a loss of control and made the vehicle veer into the bush.
He added that 53 people were involved in the crash. While 16 of them died on the spot, three others were confirmed dead later.
The commissioner said 34 others sustained injuries, adding that they were evacuated from the scene by operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
He said the survivors are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the state, The Nation also reported.
Recurrent accidents on Kano-Kaduna-Abuja Expressway
The Kano-Kaduna-Abuja Expressway has become a death trap where accidents occur too frequently.
A 2016 research by Muhammad Nuruddeen Isa (PhD) and Peter Siyan (PhD) at the University of Abuja analysed the factors responsible for the recurrent road traffic accidents
The study discovered, among others, that lack of routine repairs, maintenance and the existence of potholes are responsible for crashes on the highway.
To put an end to the frequent accidents, the scholars recommended that the relevant ministry and its agencies should always effect repairs on bad portions of the highways.
Driver’s education and sensitization should always be strengthened and enforced to ensure compliance with proper driving habits, they further recommended.
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Nigerians died more from road accidents than from Boko Haram attacks
In a 2020 report, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) revealed that Nigerians died more from road accidents than from the insecurity caused by Boko Haram insurgent attacks.
This assertion was made by the FRSC's zonal commander in charge of Oyo, Osun and Ondo states, Godwin Ogagaoghene.
Sharing some data from accidents in 2019 alone at the Ondo State Command’s end-of-the-year party and awards’ night in Akure, Ogagaoghene said at least 88 FRSC personnel were also knocked down.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
