No fewer than nine passengers were confirmed dead, while 10 others sustained varying degrees of injury in a fatal road traffic crash along the Jama’are–Azare Road in Bauchi State.
The crash occurred at about 6:20 a.m. on Friday along the Jama’are–Azare axis of the Kano–Maiduguri Expressway, according to the Bauchi Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Sector Commander CC Apaji Boyi, while briefing journalists on Friday, confirmed that the incident involved a commercial vehicle with registration number KTG 181 ZZ, which was conveying 19 passengers from Gombe to Kano.
“Preliminary findings indicate that nine passengers died on the spot, while 10 others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he said.
Boyi attributed the crash to factors “not unconnected to over-speeding, fatigue, and loss of control,” stressing that FRSC personnel promptly evacuated the injured victims to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare, for medical attention.
He said emergency responders from the FRSC arrived at the scene quickly, rescuing the injured and conveying them to the Federal Medical Centre for urgent treatment.
The sector commander further disclosed that the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the same facility, awaiting identification and claims by relatives.
Boyi noted that Operation Zero Special Patrol is ongoing across the state, with officers monitoring major roads to curb accidents amid heavy post-festive traffic.
He appealed to motorists to comply with traffic regulations, warning that roads remain busy as travellers return to their homes following the Yuletide and New Year celebrations.
