No fewer than 17 passengers escaped death in Kogi State on Friday night when a bus rammed into a parked articulated vehicle, the Federal Road Safety Corps in the state has said.
Stephen Dawulung, Kogi Sector Commander, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Lokoja.
Dawulung said that two persons died while one out of 17 was seriously injured and rushed to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja for medical attention.
The bodies of the deceased were also deposited in the mortuary.
The Sector Commander said that the accident occurred at Apamaru village, before Gada Biu on Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba Road.
He said: “The cause of the accident was high speed and poor visibility since it was already night.
“This is part of reasons we keep preaching to motorists to avoid night journey not to endanger their lives and those of their passengers at risk.
“That incident would have been avoided if the driver had not embarked on that journey knowing that his bus had poor lighting system.
“But we give God the glory that 17 out of the 19 persons involved in the accident survived it.
“While I sympathise with families of the deceased, I wish to advise drivers to avoid night travel because visibility is normally poor at night.
“Beside that, drivers are also most likely to be under fatigue and sleepy at night and yet drive on top speed because the roads are relatively freer of traffic at night.”
Dawulung said that drivers must therefore adhere to stipulated speed limits and observe minimum of 30 minutes rest after every four hours drive to avoid fatigue and sleep while driving.
He said that passengers should also understand that night journey could expose them to higher risks of being involved in a crash and should try and avoid it.
Speaking on the accident, Beanard O. Ajewole,
Social Entrepreneur and Political Analyst, who gave an eye witness report of the accident, also cautioned drivers plying Lokoja Obajana road to be careful, attributed the cause of the accident to overspeeding.