At least 21 people were killed and three others injured when a bus carrying a group of athletes returning from the recently concluded Nigeria’s National Sports Festival crashed on a busy expressway in the northern part of the country, the traffic police said.
Olusegun Ogungbemide, the national spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, said in a statement late Saturday that the bus carrying the athletes, identified as the contingent of the northern state of Kano to the 2025 National Sports Festival, crashed along the Kaduna-Kano expressway on Saturday afternoon.
At high speed, the bus veered off the road and rammed into a nearby bush. The traffic police blamed “fatigue and excessive speed” for the tragic road crash.
The traffic police urged fleet operators to caution their drivers against fatigue and speeding, particularly during periods of poor visibility, while stressing the importance of road safety, compliance with traffic regulations, and heightened vigilance behind the wheel.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the incident was “a devastating blow to the nation.”
“This tragedy casts a shadow over the National Sports Festival, a celebration of unity, talent, and excellence,” Tinubu said in a statement late Saturday.
Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, often caused by overloading, bad road conditions, and reckless driving. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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