At least 32 killed, 26 injured in separate road accidents in Nigeria

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

At least 32 people were killed and 26 others injured in separate road accidents in Nigeria's central and southwestern regions between Sunday and Monday, the country's traffic authorities said.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said 15 people were killed and 17 others sustained varying degrees of injuries after a speeding truck lost control along the Ilorin-Jebba expressway in the central state of Kwara earlier in the day.

According to the FRSC, the truck veered into a ditch and somersaulted, resulting in the fatal crash.

Earlier on Sunday night, 10 people were killed and six others injured when a truck collided with a commercial bus along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in southwestern Nigeria, according to Afolabi Odunsi, spokesperson for the FRSC in Ogun State.

Citing preliminary findings, Odunsi said the crash was caused by speeding, wrongful overtaking and dangerous driving.

In a separate incident on Sunday, seven people were killed and three others injured after a minibus suffered a tire blowout while in motion along the Okene-Lokoja road in the central state of Kogi.

Lawal Fagge, the FRSC sector commander in Kogi State, told reporters that the driver had been travelling at high speed when the tire burst. He subsequently lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road and crashed into a stationary articulated truck, Fagge said.

Fatal road accidents are common in Nigeria and are often attributed to speeding, overloading, poor road conditions and reckless driving.