Five killed in Niger governor’s convoy road crash

Five people, including four male students and a woman identified as Nafisa, have died in a road crash involving a vehicle in Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s convoy.

The accident occurred around 11:35 a.m. on Monday at Gidan Mangoro community along the Minna–Bida Road when a Hilux van in the governor’s convoy collided head-on with a private Peugeot 206 car.

Nafisa, who was driving the Peugeot, died at the scene. She reportedly worked with an NGO as a programme manager at Labspace and founded Wosh Mart Service Ltd.

A resident of the community, Abdullahi Musa, said the four other occupants of the private car were suspected to be postgraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

He alleged that the crash resulted from wrongful overtaking by the Hilux driver, claiming the Peugeot was in its lane when the collision occurred.

According to a staff member of Minna General Hospital, three victims died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to their injuries after being taken to the hospital.

Some injured victims were subsequently transferred to IBB Specialist Hospital for further treatment.

A former local government chairman in Niger State, who was reportedly among the occupants of the Hilux, sustained fractures to his legs but survived the crash.

The Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Aishat Sa’adu, confirmed the accident, saying her officers arrived after the victims had been evacuated to the hospital.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the incident and said the police had commenced an investigation.

“The accident occurred this morning, and we are investigating it,” Abiodun said.