At least five people have been killed and eight others injured in a tragic road accident involving a passenger trailer and a broken-down fuel tanker along the Agaie corridor in Niger State.
The crash occurred on Sunday in Agaie Local Government Area when a trailer carrying about 40 passengers reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid a faulty tanker abandoned on the highway.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the fuel tanker had developed a mechanical fault and was left obstructing the roadway. As the passenger trailer, which was travelling from Gusau in Zamfara State to Shagamu in Ogun State, approached the scene, another trailer ahead reportedly made a sudden overtaking manoeuvre to bypass the stalled tanker.
In an attempt to avoid colliding with the vehicles, the driver of the passenger trailer swerved sharply, lost control and crashed.
The NEMA Desk Officer for Agaie Local Government Area, Hussaini Guregi, said emergency responders were immediately deployed to the scene to rescue victims.
He confirmed that five passengers died instantly from the impact, while eight others sustained serious injuries and were rescued from the wreckage.
“The accident was caused by a faulty tanker stationed on the road and an attempted overtake by another trailer. As the trailer conveying the passengers attempted to avoid the tanker, it lost control and crashed,” Guregi said.
The injured victims were taken to the General Hospital in Agaie for medical treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited in the hospital’s morgue pending identification and collection by their families.
Following the incident, officials of NEMA and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) cleared the wreckage and reopened the affected section of the highway to traffic.
The agencies also urged operators of heavy-duty vehicles to promptly remove broken-down trucks from highways or properly secure them to prevent avoidable accidents.