FRSC advocates against night travels as Enugu crash claims 16

Amist the death of 16 travellers in the late hours of Tuesday in Enugu, Enugu State, the Enugu state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps has warned road users against night travelling.

Sokunbi Adeyemi, the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Enugu State, gave the charge in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.

Thediscovererng.com reports that no fewer than 14 male and two female adults lost their lives when their vehicle crashed into a versity fence and caught fire along the Enugu/Opi/Nsukka Road late Tuesday.

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the accident, noted that it occurred when an 18-seater bus with a Bauchi number plate, DAS 215 XA, crashed into the fence of Maduka University and went up in flames.

Our correspondent learnt that the impact of the crash and the intensity of the fire that occurred during the accident led to the death of 16 passengers while two others were rescued.

Ndukwe added that further investigation revealed that the vehicle was speeding before it lost control and rammed into the fence.

The PPRO stated that further investigation revealed that the vehicle was heading towards Nsukka from the Enugu axis of the road, but the point of take-off and final destination of the vehicle could not be ascertained as of the time of the accident.

Giving an update in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, Adeyemi disclosed that the victims were travelling from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and heading to Abuja and Nasarawa before the accident that claimed their lives took place.

He added that the families of the victims had been contacted for recovery of the bodies while urging travellers to avoid night travels, especially when they are not familiar with the terrain.

“We were able to ascertain that they (the late travellers) were travelling from Uyo and heading to Abuja and Nasarawa. From the manifest, we have reached out to their families to inform them about the incident.

“The FRSC is urging travellers, especially drivers, to avoid speeding, particularly when they are travelling in a terrain they are not familiar with. It is important that drivers should avoid night travels, which can cause fatigue and lead to such unfortunate incidents,” Adeyemi concluded.

Thediscovererng.com reported on Monday that tragedy wallop on the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State as a fatal crash claimed no fewer than 19 lives.

Jonas Agwu, the FRSC spokesperson, noted that the collision, involving a truck and a Toyota Hiace bus, happened when the truck driver, who had wrongfully overtaken a vehicle, collided head-on with the bus.

The crash investigation report centered around the tragedy to route violation and wrongful overtaking, stressing compliance with traffic regulations, such as the mandatory use of seatbelts.