By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, NIGER
DELTA: Twelve people, including four women and eight men, have lost their lives in a fatal road crash along the Lapai-Agaie highway in Niger State.
The accident, which occurred at Nami village on Saturday morning, involved a Wemer passenger bus carrying 15 people and a trailer. Eyewitnesses said the impact of the collision was devastating, with three women from the same family among the dead.
Three other passengers, including two women and the driver, sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at Lapai General Hospital.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the driver of the passenger bus, Mohammed Baba, blamed the crash on reckless driving by the trailer driver.
“The trailer driver was trying to overtake another vehicle even though he saw me approaching. Before I could control the bus, we collided head-on. After the crash, the trailer driver and his assistant fled the scene,” he said.
The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kumar Tsukwam, confirmed the incident, stating that officers were still at the accident site gathering details for an official report.
“We are investigating the exact cause of the crash, but initial findings suggest it was due to wrongful overtaking. We urge motorists to exercise caution, especially on highways,” he said.
The tragic accident has left the Lapai-Agaie community in mourning, with families of the victims calling for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations to prevent such avoidable losses.