KEY POINTS

• A passenger bus travelling from Jos to Lagos crashed under a bridge on the Lokoja-Okene highway, killing 16 people.
• FRSC blamed excessive speed and driver fatigue for the accident, which occurred near Osara in Kogi State.
• Six injured passengers were rescued and taken to hospitals, while authorities urged drivers to avoid reckless driving and fatigue.

At least 16 people lost their lives on Friday morning after a passenger bus veered off the busy Lokoja-Okene highway and plunged beneath a bridge near Osara in Kogi State.

The tragic accident occurred around 9:20 a.m. at Aku village along the highway, according to the Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lawal Fagge.

The vehicle involved in the crash was a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD. The bus was reportedly travelling from Jos to Lagos with 22 passengers on board when the accident happened.

Speeding and Driver Fatigue Blamed

According to the FRSC commander, preliminary investigations revealed that excessive speed and driver fatigue were responsible for the fatal crash.

Fagge explained that the driver lost control of the vehicle before it plunged under the bridge, leading to the deaths of 16 occupants at the scene.

Among those killed were 15 male passengers and the only female occupant of the bus. The impact of the crash reportedly left the vehicle severely damaged.

The Lokoja-Okene highway has long been regarded as one of Nigeria’s busiest and most dangerous highways due to frequent accidents involving commercial vehicles, tankers, and heavy-duty trucks.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps responded swiftly after receiving a distress call from the scene of the accident.

Six passengers who survived the crash with varying degrees of injuries were rescued and taken to nearby medical facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital in Lokoja for urgent treatment.

The bodies of the deceased victims were later deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.

Witnesses at the scene described the incident as horrifying, saying rescue efforts were difficult due to the location of the bus beneath the bridge.

Following the incident, the FRSC renewed calls for motorists to avoid speeding, reckless driving, and fatigue while travelling on highways.

The agency stressed that many road crashes across the country are preventable if drivers obey traffic regulations, rest adequately before long-distance journeys, and avoid dangerous overtaking.

Road safety officials also urged commercial transport operators to regularly inspect their vehicles and ensure drivers are physically fit before embarking on trips.