Five people, including four students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), have died in a road accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago.
The accident occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro in Minna. It involved a Toyota Hilux carrying the Director-General of the Government House, Dauda Chikuba, and another vehicle conveying the students, according to a PUNCH report published on Tuesday.
The four students and the driver of the Government House vehicle died at the scene, while Chikuba was taken to hospital for treatment.
The crash reportedly happened as the governor’s convoy was returning to Minna after a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, following the death of Sagi Nupe, Aisha.
The vehicle carrying the students was travelling towards Bida when the collision occurred.
An eyewitness quoted by PUNCH described the incident as a head-on collision and alleged that the governor’s convoy was travelling at high speed.
“It was a head-on collision. We learnt that the convoy was at high speed when the accident occurred. It was a terrible accident,” the eyewitness said.
However, the report did not independently establish the cause of the crash.
The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the accident and said an investigation had commenced.
“The accident occurred this morning, and we are investigating it,” Abiodun was quoted as saying.
The police spokesperson did not disclose the identities of the deceased.
Further details about the circumstances of the collision and the condition of the injured government official were not immediately available.