A convoy conveying the Minister of sports and youth development, Bar. Solomon Dalung, was involved in a ghastly motor accident on Gombe-Bauchi highway, at about 12 noon on Saturday.
The accident, which occurred in Akko, about 22kms to Gombe town from the Gombe state airport Lawanti, reportedly left one person dead, while several others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The accident occurred while a delegation led by the acting President National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Mayor Chinedu, picked the minister from the airport to witness the 2018 Unity Convention and election of new officials of NYCN taken place in Gombe.
An eyewitness who was at the scene attributed the accident to recklessness of drivers in the minister’s convoy who chose to occupy the entire road.
The source said that following the reckless occupation of the centre of the road, a driver of a 406 peaugeot vehicle heading to Bauchi, was rattled he then lost control and headed for a head on collision with a Toyota hummer bus in the convoy, he said while trying to dodge the hummer bus however, hit a Toyota Prado Jeep, conveying the acting president of NYCN at the rear part close to the passenger seat. Fortunately, the acting president was reportedly sitting in the front seat. Meanwhile, when the bus hit the Prado jeep it lost control and crashed into other vehicles.
He said the Peogeot when a blazed, the driver got burnt and died instantly, while 3 other occupants were rescued.
According to him the Prado jeep conveying the President and some officials of the NYCN, with the Hilux and hummer bus somersaulted repeatedly into a nearby bush, leaving the occupants of the ill-fated vehicles with wounds.
It was learnt that immediately the incident occurred, the minister, responded with concern, by visiting the rescued victims, at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), and the state specialist hospital in Gombe.
Our source said the victims were rescued by Gombe state special Marshalls and some officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC),
When our Correspondent visited the hospitals he saw doctors and other medical personnels busy attending to the victims.
While speaking with our Correspondent at FMC, the officer in charge of Gombe state Marshals, Sunday Jika, denied the version of the story that the accident was caused by the minister’s convoy. He said the accident was caused by the 406 driver, who he claimed that he was epileptic.
The state Public Relations Officer of the FRSC, said he could not confirm the accident and casualties involved he then promised to get back to our reporter as soon as he obtains details on the accident. As of the time of this report, he was still being awaited.
Igbere TV gathered from sources in the hospitals that 20 persons were involved, one got burnt and died instantly while 19 others are receiving treatment.
