At least 32 killed, 73 injured in central Nigeria road accidents

ABUJA, Jan. 16 : At least 32 people were killed and more than 73 others injured in recent road accidents in Nigeria's central region, local authorities said while bemoaning the incessant nature of road incidents in Africa's most populous country.

Some 19 people were killed and 11 "badly injured" while returning from a wedding ceremony in Plateau State on Saturday, John Dasar, head of the emergency management committee in the Pankshin Local Government Area where the incident occurred, told reporters late Tuesday.

 According to Dasar, the bus carrying the wedding guests overturned as it meandered along a rocky road. After the accident, bystanders helped evacuate passengers from the vehicle when it suddenly caught fire, trapping the occupants and burning them beyond recognition.  On Tuesday night, at least six people died and over 60 others sustained various degrees of injuries in a road accident involving an articulated vehicle in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, the traffic police said.

 Samuel Oyedeji, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kogi State, told reporters late Tuesday that the incident was caused by "over-speeding," while citing a preliminary investigation.

Oyedeji decried the lack of road safety measures on the part of road users, urging motorists to always obey traffic rules to avoid road mishaps. At least seven people were killed and two others injured in a road accident along the Bida-Mokwa Road in the Lavun Local Government Area of Niger, another state in the country's central region, late Tuesday, the FRSC said.

Kumar Tsukwam, sector commander of the FRSC in Niger State, told reporters on Wednesday that a Toyota sedan at high speed had a head-on collision with an oncoming truck, causing the "devastating incident."

 Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, often caused by overloading, bad road conditions, and reckless driving.

Taiwo Akanni, an expert on road safety measures, told Xinhua that road accidents are "a significant concern in Nigeria," adding that addressing them requires a multifaceted approach.

"Reducing the menace of road accidents in Nigeria requires a coordinated and holistic strategy involving government agencies, private sector stakeholders, and road users," he said.  (Xinhua) :