Three people have been confirmed dead, while about 40 others sustained varying degrees of injuries after a canter truck rammed into people sitting by the roadside along the Gombe–Potiskum Road in Yobe State.
The crash occurred around 2:30 pm on Wednesday near Badejo town in Potiskum Local Government Area, a busy section of the expressway.
Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was traveling at high speed before the driver suddenly lost control, ploughing into people sitting by the roadside.
Confirming the incident, Yobe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Paul Andrew, said three people died on the spot, while about 40 others were injured.
“The crash involved a canter truck that ran into people sitting by the roadside, leading to multiple casualties,” Andrew said, noting the accident occurred around 2:30 pm.
He explained that preliminary investigations identified over-speeding, compounded by overloading, as the primary causes of the fatal crash.
“From our findings, the driver lost control due to excessive speed and overloading while navigating a busy section of the road,” he said.
Andrew further disclosed that the truck was heading toward the Potiskum cattle market on a market day, a period usually marked by heavy human and vehicular movement.
“Such conditions require extreme caution, but unfortunately, violations like speeding continue to cost lives,” he added.
Meanwhile, the FRSC commander said emergency responders quickly moved in to rescue the injured and evacuate the dead to nearby medical facilities and mortuaries.
He also noted that operatives cleared the road to prevent secondary crashes.
“I urge drivers to desist from over-speeding and overloading, especially on market days, as these offences remain major contributors to avoidable deaths on our roads,” Andrew said.
