Seven farmers, two men and five women, have lost their lives in an auto crash along the Kutigi-Batati stretch of the Bida-Mokwa road in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.
Daily Trust gathered that the accident occurred when a dark blue Toyota Corolla, with the number plate ANW-243-AH, driven by one Halilu had a head-on collision with an unregistered white truck at Panti village.
According to eyewitnesses, the collision happened as the Toyota Corolla attempted to overtake an oncoming trailer
Sources revealed that the Toyota Corolla had departed Batati and was en route to Kutigi, the Lavun LGA headquarters, while the truck was travelling from Lagos to Abuja.
An eyewitness, Mohammed Alhassan, recounted the event during a phone interview with our correspondent.
“I was riding my motorcycle from the Kutigi direction when the accident happened just metres ahead of me.
“The Toyota Corolla, loaded with bags of sorghum, tried to overtake another trailer. Although the car managed to overtake, another trailer was parked by the roadside, leaving the driver with no room to escape. The head-on collision was inevitable.”
Sources said the victims were displaced farmers who had fled insecurity in Niger East and resettled in Dasun village via Jipan in Lavun LGA to continue farming after being displaced from conflict-ridden areas of Shiroro, Munya, Paikoro, and Rafi LGAs.
Confirming the incident, Kumar Tsukwam, the Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), stated that the crash occurred around 6pm on Monday.
He said a total of nine people, including four men and five women, were involved in the accident but seven victims were confirmed dead by doctors at Kutigi General Hospital.
The Sector Commander attributed the crash to speed violation, loss of control, and reckless driving.
Mohammed Sanusi, Assistant Commander of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Kutigi branch, also grief over the incident.
“It was devastating. I couldn’t hold back my tears seeing how the victims were crushed inside the car,” he said.
He said the remains of the victims were laid to rest in Dasun village on Tuesday morning, a day after the tragic incident.