Black Tuesday as 54 passengers die in Borno, Abuja auto crashes

.4 injured on Abuja road

No fewer than 54 persons died on Tuesday in two motor accidents in Borno State and tbe Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja.

While the Borno Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr Utten Boyi, has confirmed the death of 37 people in an accident that occurred along the  Maiduguri-Damaturu Road, 17 passengers were killed in an auto crash that occurred along the Kwali-Abaji Expressway in Abuja in the early hours of Tuesday

Boyi told the  News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Maiduguri that the accident which occurred on Tuesday  involved two passenger buses, one transiting  from Abuja to Maiduguri and the other transiting from Maiduguri to Gaidam town in Yobe.

“The buses on speed caught fire after the collision. We counted 37 corpses and most of them burnt beyond recognition.

“The accident happened around Jakana Village about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri,” Boyi said.

He said that his men in collaboration with the Police, NEMA and fire service mobilised  their personnel to evacuate the victims of the accident.

According to him, the police had obtained a court order to carry out mass burial for the deceased.

A similar accident was recorded along the same road on Monday involving a bus with 10 passengers where five of them lost their lives.

Meanwhile, at least 17 passengers were killed in an auto crash that occurred along the Kwali-Abaji Expressway in Abuja in the early hours of Tuesday

Bisi Kazeem, the FRSC spokesperson, said four passengers sustained injuries while one was rescued unhurt.

The FRSC said the crash involved 1 DAF Trailer with registration number BAU 632 XA and a Toyota Bus with registration number GME 201 ZU.

“Unfortunately, there were a total of 22 occupants involved in the crash, out of which 17 victims all males were killed.

“Four other occupants, also male victims who were rescued alive sustained various degrees of injuries, while the remaining 1 male occupant was rescued without any injury,” said Kazeem.

He attributed the crash to excessive speeding and fatigue, adding that injured victims have been evacuated to the Abaji General Hospital for immediate medical attention while the remains of the dead victims were deposited at the mortuary.

Kazeem said the FRSC Acting Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, noted that crash investigations conducted over the years revealed that excessive violation was the major cause of accidents coupled with fatigue from driver’s indulgence in night-long trips without taking adequate rest.

He further admonished the public to always use the FRSC toll free line 122 and the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM which are always available for all road users to report emergencies at any given time.