.As Kwara Gov mourns 27 victims of Gbajibo boat mishap
CHIGOZIE AMADI
A ghastly accident involving an articulated vehicle has claimed seven lives with 16 others injured along Agaie-Badegi Road, in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger.
The Director-General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Minna.
He attributed the accident to a bad portion of the road on Lambata/Bida axis.
Baba-Arah stated that the truck was carrying Federal Government grains with passengers numbering about 36, all male, heading to Kano from Lagos state.
“As of the time of filing this report, seven people were confirmed dead, 11 people with high degree of injuries, while five people sustained minor injuries.
“Some of the injured were taken to Badeggi and Agaie health centres, and others were taken away by their fellow colleagues,” he said.
The director general added that most of the dead have been taken away by their relatives.
He said that search and rescue operations were carried out by NSEMA alongside commuters and some villagers near the scene of the incident.
Also, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has sent heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of Gbajibo boat mishap involving traders from Niger State over the weekend.
About 27 travellers were involved in the accident at the weekend while returning from the market.
He also sent condolences to the government of Niger State on the sad incident.
The Governor again urged boat operators and passengers to adhere to safety regulations for the good of all, describing as painful and unacceptable a culture of not using safety gadgets repeatedly provided by the government.
He prayed to God to repose the souls of the victims.
