Tragedy struck on Sunday afternoon in Kogi State as a fatal road crash claimed the lives of 19 individuals, including five children who were burnt beyond recognition, in what has been described as one of the most horrific accidents in recent times.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the heartbreaking incident, which occurred around 4 p.m. at the Gadabiu community along the Lokoja–Obajana highway. According to Mr. Kumar Tsukwam, the Kogi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, only eight out of the 27 people involved in the crash survived — most with severe injuries.
The catastrophic collision involved a Toyota Hummer bus en route to Abuja from the southern region of Nigeria and an oncoming articulated truck. Preliminary investigations point to excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking by the driver of the Hummer bus as the cause of the tragedy.
“It was a devastating collision,” Tsukwam stated in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “The bus was overtaking another truck at high speed when it rammed head-on into the oncoming articulated vehicle. There was no space or time for escape. The result was catastrophic.”
The impact of the crash triggered a violent blaze that engulfed both vehicles, trapping several passengers. Among the 19 confirmed dead were five innocent children whose remains were charred beyond recognition, adding a chilling dimension to an already nightmarish scene.
Emergency responders, including FRSC personnel and police officers, rushed the injured to Fisayo Hospital in Obajana, battling through the blaze to save lives. The survivors sustained a range of injuries, from burns and fractures to deep cuts and dislocations.
The FRSC Commander expressed deep frustration over the recurring pattern of avoidable tragedies caused by reckless driving. “Our highways are not racetracks,” Tsukwam emphasized. “We continue to urge motorists to obey traffic rules. Speeding and dangerous overtaking have turned our roads into killing fields.”
In a haunting reminder of a similar tragedy, this incident comes just weeks after another ghastly crash along the Okene bypass on the Okene–Lokoja highway in April, which also claimed 19 lives. In that case, the vehicles involved burst into flames, complicating rescue efforts.
FRSC’s Assistant Corps Marshal and Corps Public Education Officer, Jonas Agwu, described the harrowing ordeal faced by emergency teams. “Our rescue teams battled over three hours of raging fire in an attempt to save victims,” Agwu said. “Unfortunately, the inferno hampered our efforts and cost many lives.”
As the nation mourns yet another senseless loss of life on its roads, the call for stricter enforcement of road safety laws and nationwide driver re-education grows louder. The Lokoja–Obajana tragedy serves as a stark warning: one moment of recklessness can lead to irreparable devastation.
PIONEER NEWS 