No fewer than 15 persons have been confirmed dead, while 17 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a lone trailer crash along the Ogbomoso, Oloru Road in Kwara State.
The accident occurred at about 2:32 a.m. on Monday near the Muslim Cemetery in Oko Olowo, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The crashed vehicle, a DAF XF trailer with registration number GWL 274 XC, was reportedly driven by Nasiru Muhammed and was conveying dozens of passengers when it lost control and crashed.
The FRSC said a total of 48 male occupants were involved in the accident. While 15 persons died at the scene, 17 suffered injuries, including fractures, dislocations and bruises. Sixteen others escaped unhurt.
The injured victims were evacuated to Arewa Medical Centre and Baki Hospital for medical treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were released to their families through the Sarkin Hausawa of Oko Olowo after necessary procedures.
Kwara State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Kabiru Babatunde Kazeem, who confirmed the incident, said preliminary investigations indicated that driver fatigue was the likely cause of the crash.
Kazeem, who supervised rescue and recovery operations at the scene, disclosed that personnel from the FRSC Oloru Unit Command and Oko Olowo Outpost jointly carried out the operation.
He added that rescue efforts were ongoing as officials searched for more victims believed to be trapped beneath the trailer’s load.
Following the tragedy, the sector commander said the command would intensify public enlightenment campaigns through town hall meetings and engagements with stakeholders to promote safer road use.
He also urged motorists and transport operators to avoid conveying passengers alongside goods and to refrain from embarking on night journeys, stressing that fatigue remains one of the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways.
