Yobe auto crash claims three lives, injures 40 others along Potiskum-Gombe road

No fewer than three passengers have been confirmed dead, while 40 others sustained various degrees of injuries, after a truck rammed into people sitting by the roadside along the Gombe-Potiskum road in Yobe.

‎‎The incident occurred at 2:30 pm on Wednesday near Badejo village in Potiskum Local Council Area of the state.

An eyewitness told The Guardian on Wednesday in Damaturu that the Canter mini-truck appeared to be moving at a high speed before the driver lost control and rammed into the people sitting at the roadside.

‎The State’s Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Paul Andrew, confirmed the accident in a telephone interview in Damaturu.

The Sector Commander said, “The crash occurred at 2:30 pm near Badejo village along the Gombe–Potiskum Expressway.
“It involved a mini-truck, which rammed into people sitting by the roadside, causing multiple casualties of 40 injured people.”

‎He stated that preliminary investigations attributed the road accident to overloading and speeding.

He said, “From our findings so far, the crash was caused by overloading and over-speeding,” explaining that the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating the busy section of the road, and unfortunately, this led to death and injuries sustained by the people
Andrew added, “The driver of the truck was heading to the Potiskum cattle market, but there was heavy movement of people and vehicles along the route.”

‎He also highlighted the corps’ and emergency rescue teams’ responses.
“The injured were quickly rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while the deceased were evacuated by our operatives,” he said.

He, therefore, urged all drivers to stop overloading, particularly on market days, as these violations continue to cause avoidable loss of lives and property.