Kaduna-Abuja Expressway Accident Kills 16 People, Injures 27

An accident on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway killed at least 16 people and injured 27 on Sunday.

Kabir Nadabo, the Federal Road Safety Corps' (FRSC) Kaduna sector commander, said the accident happened around 5:20 a.m. at Audu Jhangon village when an overloaded DAF truck, with the number plate KUJ 430XC, lost control and fell into a ditch. The vehicle was reportedly coming at a high speed.

"Initial reports indicate the driver was at high speed, probably due to fatigue. The combined rescue teams of RS1.114 Zhipe Unit Command and RS1.16B Dutse Outpost conducted the rescue operations. The crash involved 65 people, where 27 were injured and 16 people were deceased," Nadabo said, Premium Times reported.

The injured people were rushed to a hospital nearby. The truck was ordered to be towed out of the road as some of its parts were blocking the road.

"I also directed the tow truck to remove part of the accident trailer blocking the road. The road is free for movement," the sector commander said.

Accidents are common in Nigeria due to several reasons, including inadequate traffic laws, poor road conditions, poorly maintained vehicles and rash driving. Last month, at least 17 people died and 229 people were injured after a truck overloaded with food and people crashed in Niger state.

In October, a tanker loaded with 33,000 liters of diesel crashed in the Sari Iganmu area in Lagos, causing a large fuel spill on the road, which completely stalled traffic in the area for some time.

Besides road accidents, boat accidents are also very common in Nigeria as a boat carrying 100 passengers capsized in River Benue in October.

People also face kidnappings and banditry issues in the country. Kaduna State Police Command revealed on Sunday that it rescued a woman from kidnappers.

Mansur Hassan, a public relations officer for the police command, said that "operatives received a call that a group of armed men invaded a residence in the Dogarawa area of Sabon Gari, Zaria local council" and kidnapped a 37-year-old housewife.

"On receiving the call, our team rushed to the scene and pursued the criminals. Due to our superior firepower, they abandoned the kidnapped victim, which led to her rescue," Hassan said, The Guardian reported.