The Kaduna-Zaria highway was the scene of a terrible tragedy Monday night that claimed the lives of eight members of one family and left two more critically ill in the hospital.
The terrible incident was reported to have occurred when a fast car lost control and struck people who were waiting on the side of the road.
It was understood that the tragic event occurred during the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations at approximately 6 p.m. in the Barakallahu neighborhood along the Kaduna-Zaria route.
Women and children who had congregated by the side of the road after spending the holiday at their grandmother’s house were among those impacted.
A young lad from the Rigachikun community is said to have been driving the implicated car, an ash-colored Mercedes GLK Jeep, and he ran away from the site as soon as the collision occurred.
The boy’s father is thought to occupy a prominent political role in the neighborhood.
A distraught husband and father from Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Malam Jamilu Usman Mai Yadi, told Daily Trust, “We lost eight members of our family that evening.”
“My wife, Khadija Umar, their aunt, their younger and older sisters, and my two children, Muhammad, 9, and Sadiq, 16, all passed away. Ten members of my family were affected in all; two are still in the hospital and eight have died.
He claimed that when the car abruptly swerved off the road and crashed into the victims, they were waiting by the side of the road, trying to get a ride home.
“My wife’s leg was irreparably broken, so the driver must have been speeding.” Road Safety personnel only subsequently returned Sadiq’s remains to us,” Mai Yadi said angrily.
Zainab Muhammad, who was eight months pregnant with twins, was one of the dead.
Her husband, a preacher from Hayin Rigasa named Sulaiman Abdulkadir Mai Shinkafa, described the accident’s aftermath in graphic detail.
“She was about to give birth.” Every baby item was prepared. We even gave Hassan and Hussaini, the unborn twins, names. Khalid, our 6-year-old son, was also struck.
Her body was crushed. The bones of my son were broken. Prior to burial, we had to collect their remains using planks. The grieving father told reporters, “It’s something no family should ever witness.”
Like other bereaved family members, Mai Shinkafa expressed their profound dissatisfaction with what they called the community’s and government’s disregard.
“Neither the Kaduna State administration nor the boy’s family, whose father was a well-known politician in the neighborhood, have come to offer their condolences. “Not a word,” he bemoaned.
Even the driver’s father failed to appear. It seems as if our lives are unimportant.
FRSC Verifies the Incident
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), meanwhile, has verified the terrible accident’s occurrence and attributed it to speeding and losing control on a wet road.
“What happened is that the driver lost control of the vehicle,” stated Tijjani Iliyasu, Sector Commander of the Kaduna Road Safety Corps (FRSC), as he described the response. The road was slick, and it was pouring rain. According to our evaluation, he was speeding and collided with onlookers.
Six people immediately perished. We hurried the injured to the hospital after saving them right away. The driver and other occupants of the car had already left by the time we got there. They abandoned the car under the cover of darkness. Who exactly was driving is unknown to us.
Read Also: Nigerian Lawmaker Renews Service Pledge on Democracy Day
The case has been turned over to the Nigerian Police for additional investigation, he continued.
“The car has been turned over to the police as of right now, and they ought to be able to track down the owner,” Iliyasu said.
“At the scene, saving lives was our top priority, and we succeeded in doing so.”
Kaduna Government Mom, Police
As of the time this story was filed, it was discovered that the Nigeria Police Force’s Kaduna State command had not commented on the matter.
The media claims that because DSP Mansir Hassan’s phone line was down as this article was being prepared, several attempts to get in touch with the police public relations officer were fruitless.
Furthermore, since Monday’s catastrophe, the state government has not issued a public statement.
Community members have joined the bereaved family in calling for swift justice and government intervention.
Imam Rabiu, a community leader and citizen of Barakallahu, prayed to Allah for the pardon of those killed in the tragedy.
The catastrophe devastated the entire village. The village remained silent that night since the deaths of eight family members in one go was a horrible tragedy. Rabiu said, “May Allah pardon them.
Another Barakallahu resident, Adam, called the encounter “dreadful and painful.”
He merely remarked, “It was a terrible incident because many lives were lost.”
The family is left to grieve in silence, according to Mai Yadi.
“Our dear ones have been buried. We have offered up our prayers. But the agony is still there. “The least we can expect from those in authority and those in charge is empathy,” he stated.
