Road accident in northern Nigeria kills 22 athletes returning from a sports festival
The cause of the accident, which happened on Saturday, was not immediately known. The athletes had taken part in the Nigerian National Sports Festival in the southern state of Ogun over the last week.
The driver appeared to lose control of the bus and the vehicle, with over 30 passengers, plunged off the Chiromawa Bridge on the Kano-Zaria expressway, according to Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor of Kano.
Survivors of the crash were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Yusuf said the athletes, who were accompanied by their coaches and sporting officials, were representing Kano at the sports festival, a major multi-sports event that bringing together athletes from the country's 35 states every two years.
The governor declared Monday a day of mourning for the state. The families of the victims are to receive 1 million naira (about $630) and food supplies as support, Kano's deputy governor, Aminu Gwarzo, said.
Road accidents are frequent in Africa's most populous country, in part due to poor road conditions and lax enforcement of traffic laws.
In March, at least six people died near Nigeria's capital of Abuja after a trailer crashed into parked vehicles and burst into flames.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
6 days ago
- Arab News
Senegal grind out win against Nigeria to open CHAN title defense
NAIROBI: Senegal beat Nigeria 1-0 in their opening group match at Zanzibar's Amaan stadium on Tuesday to make a successful start to their African Nations Championships (CHAN) title defense. The sides were evenly matched for the majority of the encounter before Senegal, who were meeting their West African rivals for the first time in the championships, managed to break the deadlock in the 75th minute. Midfielder Serigne Koite pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box, drew out the Nigerian goalkeeper and set up Christian Gomis to tap home the winner for Senegal. Senegal's next opponents Congo came from behind to hold favorites Sudan to a 1-1 draw in an evenly-contested game. The Sudanese Falcons had appeared on course to collect all three points after wonderkid Musa Ali Hussein had given them an early lead in the 29th minute. The Al Merrikh striker weaved past a pair of Congolese defenders before releasing a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to give his side a well deserved lead. But a defensive lapse inside the last five minutes allowed underdogs Congo to share the spoils. Substitute Carly Ekongo rescued his country in the 86th minute when he capitalized on a loose ball inside the penalty area to smash home the equalizer.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Gunmen abduct 60 in northern Nigeria, kill villagers in overnight raids
Gunmen abducted at least 45 women and children in an overnight raid on five villages in northwest Nigeria, witnesses said, in the second mass kidnapping in the area within days. The attackers returned to Sabongarin Damri on Monday and raided nearby villages including Sade, Tungar Tsalle, Tungar Sodangi and Tungar Musa Dogo, in an assault that lasted until dawn, Shehu Musa, the traditional head of Damri, told Reuters by phone late on Tuesday. The incident followed a separate mass abduction in Sabongarin Damri, in Zamfara state, on Saturday in which 70 people were taken. 'The attackers invaded the communities and kidnapped no fewer than 45 people from the five neighboring villages, which are less than half a kilometer apart,' Musa said. Armed groups, often referred to locally as 'bandits,' have killed hundreds and abducted thousands across Nigeria's northwest in recent years. They typically hold captives for extended periods, demanding ransoms for their release. Security forces engaged the assailants during Monday's attack, killing three, but were unable to stop the bandits from fleeing with hostages and rustling cattle. Civilian casualties were reported, though the number of fatalities was unconfirmed. 'They mostly kidnapped women and children after killing some of our people,' said Hassan Dauda, a resident of Tungar Tsalle. 'As I'm speaking to you now, some residents have started fleeing their community due to fear.' Separately, Boko Haram militias attacked the remote Kennari village, in the Damasak area of the northeastern Borno state, on Monday, abducting at least 15 people and killing one person, according to a security report seen by Reuters. Modu Bukar, a resident, said the assailants killed the village head and demanded a 30 million naira ($19,650) ransom for the release of the captives.
Arab News
05-08-2025
- Arab News
Nigeria seizes 1,600 birds at Lagos airport bound for Kuwait
LAGOS: Customs officials at Nigeria's Lagos international airport said they had seized more than 1,600 parrots and canaries that were being transported to Kuwait without a permit, in one of the biggest such seizures in years. The cargo of live birds, which included ring-necked parakeets and yellow-fronted canaries, was intercepted by customs officials at the airport on July 31, the agency said in a statement late on Monday. Nigeria, which has become a transit hub for trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products, is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Parrots, songbirds and birds of prey are among the most trafficked birds for the exotic pet trade, private collections and for feathers or trophies, according to the United Nations 2024 World Wildlife Report. Michael Awe, a customs controller at Lagos airport, said the birds were not accompanied by a CITES permit and other documents required to prove they were legally obtained. 'No illegal shipment will slip through the cracks under my watch at the airport, because the eagle eyes of my command officers are everywhere to detect and intercept,' he said in the statement. Awe said customs were investigating those responsible for the illicit cargo, adding that the birds would be handed over to the National Parks Service.
