By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
What was meant to be the happiest day of his life ended in heartbreak for family, friends, and colleagues as Superintendent of Police Mustapha Garba, an officer serving with the Bauchi State Police Command, tragically lost his life in a car crash on his way to his own wedding on Saturday, June 14.
The fatal accident occurred along the Bargan Tsamiya axis of the Toro–Bauchi highway when the Mercedes Benz vehicle conveying the officer and three of his friends veered off its lane and collided head-on with an oncoming Opel Vectra. The impact of the crash was devastating.
According to the Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Mohammed Wakil, the Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Sani-Omolori, swiftly ordered an emergency response upon receiving news of the incident.
“SP Mustapha Garba was en route to his wedding ceremony when the tragic crash occurred. He was in the company of three friends. Sadly, a medical doctor at the Toro General Hospital confirmed that the officer and two of his friends had died,” Wakil said.
Their remains were later handed over to their grieving families for burial in line with Islamic rites.
The entire Bauchi Police Command has been thrown into mourning, with colleagues expressing shock and sorrow over the unexpected loss of a promising officer whose life was cut short on a day meant for joy and celebration.
“This is a numbing tragedy. We have lost a gallant officer and brother in the most painful way,” one officer who requested anonymity told reporters.
The heartbreaking incident has cast a somber mood across the state and sparked conversations about road safety, especially on one of Bauchi’s most accident-prone routes.