Eight farmers lost their lives in a terrible head-on collision on the Batati/Lanle Road in Niger State at around 8 p.m. on Monday when the Toyota Corolla, which was allegedly speeding, tried to pass another car and struck an approaching tanker that was going to Lagos to load fuel.
The victims, who were identified as farmers who had moved from Niger Zone B to Dasu village in Lavun Local Government Area because of insecurity, were crushed beyond recognition in the collision.
An eyewitness who preferred to remain anonymous described the accident as a horrifying scene. He said, “It was a terrible sight. All the victims were men of different age groups, and their bodies were crushed beyond recognition. Road Safety needs to caution drivers about overspeeding and overtaking recklessly on our roads.”
Mohammed Sanusi, the Assistant Commander of the Kutigi Branch of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria, verified the occurrence and conveyed his sadness for the victims’ state.
“I was shocked by what I saw. The bodies were in a terrible state. Tears ran uncontrollably down my face. May God Almighty forgive their shortcomings,” Sanusi lamented.
At the time of filing this report, the Niger State Government, the State Police Command, and the Federal Road Safety Corps had not released any official statements regarding the accident.
He praised the efforts of the Red Cross, RTEAN, and Federal Road Safety Corps personnel in evacuating the bodies from the scene. The victims were buried in Dasu village on Tuesday.