Four students killed in crash involving Niger Governor’s convoy in Minna

MINNA, NIGERIA – Five people, including four male students and a young woman, have died in a road accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago along the Minna–Bida Road.

The fatal collision occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community in Minna, the state capital, when a Hilux van in the governor’s convoy reportedly collided head-on with a private Peugeot 206 car.

The woman, identified as Mrs Nafisa, was driving the Peugeot and reportedly died at the scene.

She was said to be a staff member of a non-governmental organisation, a programme manager at Labspace, and the founder of Wosh Mart Service Ltd.

A resident of Gidan Mangoro, Abdullahi Musa, told newsmen that the accident occurred at about 11:35 a.m. while the governor was returning from Bida, where he and members of his team had paid a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.

The visit followed the death of Sagi Nupe, Hajia Aisha.

Musa said the collision involved a high-speed Hilux van travelling with the governor’s convoy and the private car driven by Nafisa. He alleged that wrongful overtaking by the Hilux caused the crash.

“The people in the private car died instantly, while those in the government Hilux sustained serious injuries, with the driver dying on the spot,” he said.

“The accident was caused by wrongful overtaking by the Hilux in the governor’s convoy. The other car was in its lane when the Hilux rammed into it.”

The circumstances surrounding the crash, including the allegation of wrongful overtaking, had not been established by an official investigation as of the time of the report.

A staff member of Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken after the accident, told Vanguard that three people died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision.

“Some of the injured victims were subsequently referred to IBB Specialist Hospital for advanced medical care,” the hospital staff member said.

The report also indicated that a former local government council chairman in Niger State was among the occupants of the Hilux van.

He reportedly sustained fractures to his legs but was still alive at the time of the report.

The crash left several people injured, with some requiring further medical attention at a specialist hospital.

However, the identities of the deceased and the full details of the injuries sustained by other occupants had not been officially released.

The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the accident but said her officers arrived at the scene after the victims had been evacuated to hospitals.

Sa’adu did not provide further details about the circumstances of the collision in the account reported by Vanguard.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the incident and said the police had commenced an investigation.

“The accident occurred this morning and we are investigating it,” Abiodun said.

The police spokesperson did not disclose the names of the deceased or provide an official breakdown of the casualties.

The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances that led to the head-on collision, including the reported allegation of wrongful overtaking, and clarify the sequence of events that resulted in the five deaths and injuries to occupants of the vehicles.

The incident has raised questions about road safety and driving conduct, particularly involving vehicles travelling in official convoys.

However, responsibility for the crash remains subject to the findings of the ongoing police investigation.