- A tanker crash in Niger state has killed a woman and her 10-year-old grandson inside a residential building
- Angry residents claimed that repeated tanker accidents have occurred in the same home due to poor highway conditions
- As anger grew over recurring crashes and a lack of compensation, community protests disrupted major roads in the state
A tragic accident in Maje, a community on the outskirts of Suleja in Niger state, has left two people dead after a tanker truck lost control and crashed into a residential building on Sunday, May 17.
The victims were identified as a woman, Maryam Shuaibu, and her 10-year-old grandson. A young girl from the same household reportedly survived the crash but suffered injuries.
As disclosed by Daily Trust, a resident, Muhammad Badamasi, said the truck was coming from the Minna axis around 7 am on its way to Kaduna when the driver noticed a brake failure.
According to him, the driver jumped out of the moving vehicle and left his assistant inside while also trying to stop the truck from outside by throwing objects at its wheels, but the effort failed.
The tanker then veered off the road and smashed into the house, killing Maryam and her grandson instantly.
Another resident, Abdulmumini Ahmad, said the same house had been hit by moving tankers about four times due to the poor condition of the federal highway in the area.
Anger erupts as youths block highways
Anger, however, broke out in the community after the incident. Young people blocked the Suleja–Minna Road and also another route linking Dikko Junction to the Abuja–Kaduna expressway.
They said families affected in earlier crashes had never received any form of compensation from authorities or truck operators.
The protest caused heavy traffic, stretching into Suleja town and the surrounding communities along the busy routes.
Officials from the state government, led by the Commissioner for Transport, Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, later arrived at the scene, appealed to the protesters, and succeeded in reopening the road around 3 pm.
The victims were buried according to Islamic rites, while the police in Suleja confirmed the incident.
Speeding vehicle crashes into tricycles in Lagos
Previously, Legit.ng reported that a serious road crash occurred at Federal Bus Stop on Ipaja Road, Lagos, involving a Honda vehicle and two commercial tricycles. The incident left multiple passengers injured.
Eyewitnesses said the female driver was allegedly speeding and lost control while trying to avoid a street sweeper, before hitting the sweeper and colliding with two oncoming tricycles in the busy area.
About 10 passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals, while emergency responders and traffic officials worked to clear the scene and manage the resulting congestion.
11 feared dead as vehicle falls off bridge
Legit.ng earlier reported that 11 people died after a Toyota vehicle plunged off the Eruku Bridge along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in Ogun state, following a late-night crash on Sunday, May 10.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the vehicle reportedly somersaulted before falling off the bridge. Authorities attributed the crash to suspected overloading and driving under the influence.
Source: Legit.ng