Five Die in Crash Involving Governor’s Convoy

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 in Minna, the state capital.

The crash occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community along the Minna–Bida Road following a head-on collision between a Hilux van in the governor’s convoy and 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 work with an NGO as programme manager at Labspace and was also the founder of Wosh Mart Service Ltd.

A Gidan Mangoro resident, Abdullahi Musa, said the accident happened at about 11.35am as the governor was returning from Bida, where he and his team had paid a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, following the death of Hajiya Aisha, the Sagi Nupe.

Musa said the other occupants of the Peugeot were suspected to be postgraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

According to him, the occupants of the private car died, while the government Hilux driver also died at the scene after sustaining injuries. Other occupants of the convoy vehicle reportedly suffered serious injuries.

Musa alleged that the crash resulted from wrongful overtaking by the Hilux, claiming that the Peugeot was travelling in its lane when the government vehicle collided with it.

A staff member of Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken, said three people died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.

The staff member added that some of the injured victims were subsequently transferred to the IBB Specialist Hospital for further medical treatment.

It was also gathered that a former Niger State local government council chairman was among the occupants of the Hilux. He reportedly sustained fractures to his legs but was alive as of the time of the report.

The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the accident, saying her officers arrived after the victims had been evacuated to the hospital.

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

Abiodun did not disclose the identities or exact number of those who died, stating that the accident occurred that morning and was being investigated.