Abuja-Lokoja Highway Crash Claims 9 Lives as Truck Plunges Into Ditch

(FRSC officials at the accident scene. Photo Credit: Daily Trust)

Nine people died and two others were hurt when a truck crashed at Piri village on the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

A witness, Samson Yakubu, said the accident happened at about 5:37am the day before the report.

The Howo truck, registration FKY 922 XB, was carrying ceramic tiles from Ajaokuta in Kogi State to Kano.

Yakubu said the driver lost control, apparently because he was tired, and plunged into a ditch.

Eleven people were sitting on top of the tiles.

Nine were trapped and died, and two survived.

Officers from the Federal Road Safety Corps rescued the two survivors and took them to General Hospital, Kwali, where they are being treated.

Villagers helped the rescue team remove the tiles before the bodies could be recovered.

All nine dead were men, according to an FRSC official at the Yangoji Unit Command.

The bodies are at the hospital mortuary.

The official blamed fatigue and speeding.

FCT Sector Commander Tijjani Iliyasu confirmed the crash and warned against riding on top of goods on trailers, which he said puts lives at risk.

He said the FRSC has sanctioned drivers who break these rules.

The construction firm working on the dualisation of part of the highway has also been booked for not putting up enough warning signs.