How two separate road crashes in Kebbi claimed 23 lives

At least 23 people have lost their lives in two separate road accidents in Kebbi State, throwing families and communities in both Kebbi and Sokoto states into mourning.

The victims included five youths from the Ambursa area of Birnin Kebbi who died while travelling to a friendly football match, and 18 travellers from Sokoto State who were returning home from Lagos when their commercial bus was involved in a fatal collision.

According to information obtained by DAILY POST, the two accidents occurred days apart but shared a common outcome, multiple fatalities and scores of grieving families.

In the Ambursa tragedy, a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveying 18 youths reportedly lost control and somersaulted along Airport Road in Birnin Kebbi. Five occupants died, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The victims were said to be travelling to participate in a friendly football match when the accident occurred.

The incident sparked widespread grief in the community, with residents describing the deceased as promising young men whose lives were cut short.

The tragedy drew a response from the Kebbi State Government, which dispatched a delegation led by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Dutsinmari, to Ambursa to convey Governor Nasir Idris’ condolences to the victims and their families.

According to state officials, the governor witnessed the accident and immediately directed emergency measures to assist the injured.

Days later, another tragedy struck along the Sokoto–Yauri Road in Kebbi State when an 18-seater commercial bus carrying passengers from Lagos to Sokoto collided head-on with a trailer.

Eighteen of the 20 occupants died at the scene, while two others survived with injuries.

Findings showed that most of the victims had travelled to Lagos in search of economic opportunities and were returning home when the accident occurred.

A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Bello Muhammad, said rescuers arrived at the scene in the early hours of Tuesday only to find the commercial bus completely destroyed by the impact of the collision.

Rescue workers and community members who participated in the evacuation described the crash as devastating, with several bodies badly mutilated by the impact of the collision.

The victims were from different communities across Sokoto State, including Shagari, Yabo and Gada Local Government Areas.

Road safety experts have repeatedly warned that stricter enforcement of traffic regulations, improved vehicle maintenance and better road infrastructure are necessary to reduce the frequency of deadly crashes.