A tragic accident in Damagum, Yobe State, has claimed the lives of five people, including a pregnant woman, after an 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus rammed into a busy market.
The vehicle, with registration number KTG 283 XA, reportedly lost control and veered into the roadside where several pedestrians were gathered, killing five and injuring 19 others.
Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Yobe, Livinus Yilzoom, confirmed the incident occurred on Sunday evening as traders were closing for the day.
“Note that five persons who died were not occupants of the vehicle, rather, they were pedestrians who were by the roadside waiting to cross,” Yilzoom told Channels TV on Tuesday, April 8.
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“The driver, in trying to avoid the pedestrian ran into five persons who were killed as he lost control due to the speed he was travelling. So far, 19 persons were injured and five killed,” he added.
According to him, officers from the FRSC Unit Command at Dogon Kuka were quickly dispatched to the scene, where they conducted an initial investigation and evacuated the victims to Damagum General Hospital.
The preliminary findings identified speeding and loss of control as the direct causes of the crash.
Eyewitnesses also expressed concern over the increasing number of roadside markets along highways, noting that such locations often become high-risk zones, especially on market days.