Seven Passengers Die in Fatal Road Accident in Ekiti

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

No fewer than seven persons last Wednesday evening lost their lives in a fatal road crash involving two vehicles in Ekiti State.

The accident, which claimed seven lives, involved an 18-passenger bus and a Toyota car, which had an head-on collision on Iluomoba-Aisegba highway, leading to the death of the casualties.

An eyewitness revealed to journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday that one of the vehicles was about to dodge a pothole, and was said to have lost control and collided with the oncoming vehicle traveling to Ado Ekiti.

The news that first filtered into town was 19 persons lost their lives in the accident, but the information was refuted by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander, FRSC in Ekiti State, Mr. Olusola Joseph, who refuted the claim that 19 persons had died, revealed that the number of passengers that occupied the two vehicles were 17.

The sector commander clarified that seven passengers lost their lives and the victims had been deposited in the morgue.

The FRSC boss said: “Those who lost their lives had been deposited in the mortuary. They were all male passengers. They were occupants of the two vehicles.

“The passengers who suffered varying degrees of injuries are presently being treated at the Afe Babalola Multisystem Hospital in Ado Ekiti.”

Joseph warned motorists against over speeding, which he described as the reason for unwarranted carnages on Nigerian roads, adding that they should strictly observe traffic safety rules and regulation.