At least 18 people from Sokoto State have died in a road accident along the Sokoto–Yauri highway in Kebbi State while travelling home from Lagos, where they had gone in search of work.
The victims were among 20 passengers travelling in an 18-seater commercial bus. The bus reportedly collided head-on with a trailer at about 11 pm on Monday, killing 18 people at the scene. Two others survived with injuries.
Reports said the passengers were returning to Sokoto after spending time in Lagos in search of a better means of livelihood.
A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Bello Muhammad, said he joined others in evacuating the victims after learning about the accident.
“We were informed that our colleague had been involved in a road accident shortly after Yauri town. By the time we arrived, 18 people had already died and the vehicle was completely wrecked,” he said.
Muhammad said the bodies were taken to the General Hospital in Yauri, where relatives identified them before they were released for burial.
He said he personally transported the bodies of victims from Kajiji Ward back to their communities.
According to him, those who died included the driver, Manniru Sabo, Basiru Shehu and another resident of Kajiji Ward. He added that seven victims were from Bingaje and Gudirriga villages in Yabo Local Government Area, while two others were from Gada Local Government Area. The remaining victims came from different parts of Sokoto State.
“Passengers travelling to Sokoto from Lagos are usually picked from any location they belong in Sokoto before the journey begins, which is why the victims came from different communities across the state,” he explained.
Muhammad said several of the victims would be buried in Yauri because their bodies were badly damaged, while those taken to Kajiji had already been buried according to Islamic rites. He added that one of the two survivors was the bus conductor.
Another resident, Alhaji Shehu Jabo, who helped transport the bodies and attended the funeral prayers, described the incident as heartbreaking.
“We were overwhelmed with grief because many of the bodies were badly mangled. It was difficult to recognise some of them,” he said.
Jabo alleged that the trailer veered into the lane of the commercial bus, causing the fatal crash. He added that only one passenger was from Kebbi State, while the other 19 were from Sokoto.
The Chairman of Shagari Local Government Area, Barrister Maidawa Kajiji, confirmed the accident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
