The Federal Road Safety Corps, Kwara State Sector Command, has confirmed that eight travelers died in a road accident at Oke-Onigbin along Omuaran-Ilorin Road in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state. The sector commander, Stephen Dawulung, confirmed the incident in a statement by the sector Public Relations Officer, Busari Basambo, in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to the statement, the fatal road traffic crash occurred on Friday evening at Oke-Onigbin, involving a Mack trailer and a Mitsubishi bus. FRSC standby rescue team members at Omuaran Unit Command were immediately mobilized to the scene for rescue.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the Mitsubishi space wagon, enroute to Ilorin, collided with an oncoming Mack trailer while overtaking a bus. This led to the death of eight persons on the spot, including one male adult, three female adults, and four children, while six others sustained various degrees of injuries. The corpses were deposited at a mortuary in Omuaran.
The sector commander attributed the crash to speed, wrongful overtaking, and poor visibility, cautioning drivers to avoid night journeys, maintain a safe speed, and take a 30-minute rest after every four hours of driving. The highest level of caution and concentration must be exercised while driving to avoid the chances of being involved in crashes due to poor visibility, fatigue, short sleep, and lack of proper vehicle control.
Dawulung sympathized with the families of the deceased and wished the injured a quick recovery, while assuring that all obstructions relating to the crash had been cleared and traffic flow reinstated. He mentioned that investigation officers had commenced a full investigation into the crash for remedial measures and reiterated FRSC’s commitment to enhancing road traffic safety through enforcing road traffic infractions, public enlightenment, and prompt rescue of road traffic crash victims.