A head-on collision between a commercial bus and a trailer has claimed 18 lives along the Sokoto–Yauri highway in Kebbi State. The crash happened around 11 pm on Monday as passengers from Sokoto were returning home after seeking work opportunities in Lagos.
Twenty people were crammed into an 18-seater vehicle when disaster struck. Two passengers survived the impact, though both sustained injuries.
Bello Muhammad, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, rushed to the scene after hearing news of the accident. "We were informed that our colleague had been involved in a road accident shortly after Yauri town.
By the time we arrived, 18 people had already died and the vehicle was completely wrecked," he said.
The bodies were transported to the General Hospital in Yauri, where family members came forward to identify their loved ones. Muhammad personally helped move corpses from Kajiji Ward back to their home communities for burial rites.
Among those killed were the driver, Manniru Sabo, and passenger Basiru Shehu, along with another resident of Kajiji Ward. Seven victims hailed from Bingaje and Gudirriga villages in Yabo Local Government Area, while two others came from Gada Local Government Area.
The remaining dead were scattered across different parts of Sokoto State. Muhammad explained that passengers typically request pickups from their specific locations before the journey begins, which explains why the victims came from various communities.
"Passengers travelling to Sokoto from Lagos are usually picked from any location they belong in Sokoto before the journey begins, which is why the victims came from different communities across the state," he noted.
Several victims received burial in Yauri because their remains were too badly damaged for transport, while others taken to Kajiji were laid to rest following Islamic tradition. One of the two survivors was the bus conductor.
Alhaji Shehu Jabo, a local resident who helped transport bodies and attended funeral prayers, described the tragedy as devastating. "We were overwhelmed with grief because many of the bodies were badly mangled.
It was difficult to recognise some of them," he told reporters.
Jabo alleged that the trailer veered across lanes and collided with the commercial vehicle. He confirmed that only one passenger was from Kebbi State, with the remaining 19 coming from Sokoto.
Barrister Maidawa Kajiji, chairman of Shagari Local Government Area, acknowledged the accident and extended sympathies to affected families.
