On Monday night, a terrible crash on the Kaduna-Zaria highway claimed the lives of eight members of one family and left two more very ill in the hospital.
It was learned that the unfortunate incident happened when a fast car lost control and struck oncoming pedestrians.
The tragic occurrence was understood to have occurred during the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations at approximately 6 p.m. in the Barakallahu region along the Kaduna-Zaria route.
Women and kids who had congregated by the side of the road after spending the holiday at their grandmother’s house were among those impacted.
A young child from the Rigachikun neighborhood 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 father of the boy is thought to be a prominent member of the community’s political elite.
According to a distraught husband and father who live in Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Malam Jamilu Usman Mai Yadi, the Daily Trust reported, “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 impacted in all; two are still in the hospital and eight have perished.
He said the car abruptly drove off the road and crashed into the victims who were waiting on the side of the road, expecting to get a ride home.
Given that my wife’s leg was irreparably shattered, the driver must have been speeding. It wasn’t until later that Road Safety officers returned Sadiq’s remains to us,” Mai Yadi said angrily.
Zainab Muhammad, eight months pregnant with twins, was one of the dead.
The aftermath of the catastrophe was described in heartbreaking detail by her husband, Sulaiman Abdulkadir Mai Shinkafa, a preacher from Hayin Rigasa.
She was about to give birth. Everything for the baby was ready. We even gave the unborn twins the names Hussaini and Hassan. Khalid, our 6-year-old son, was also injured.
Her body was crushed. My son’s bones were broken. Prior to their burial, we had to collect their remains using boards. The grieving father told reporters, “It’s something no family should ever witness.
Along with other distraught family members, Mai Shinkafa expressed their profound dissatisfaction with what they characterized as communal and governmental negligence.
“No one from the Kaduna State administration or the boy’s family, whose father was a well-known politician in the neighborhood, has been to offer their condolences. “Not even a word,” he bemoaned.
Not even the driver’s father showed up. It’s as if our lives are unimportant.
The FRSC Verifies the Incident
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that the unfortunate accident did occur and has attributed it to overspeeding and losing control on a road that was wet with rain.
“What happened was 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 individuals perished instantly. We hurried to the hospital after saving the injured right away. The driver and other passengers in the car had already left by the time we got there. They left the car under the cover of darkness. We don’t know the precise driver.
The case has been forwarded to the Nigerian Police for additional investigation, he added.
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.”
Kaduna Government Mum, Police
At 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 several attempts to reach DSP Mansir Hassan, the Police Public Relations Officer, were fruitless since, at the time this report was made, his phone line was down.
Furthermore, since the disaster occurred on Monday, the state government has not issued a public statement.
Together with the bereaved families, community members are calling for swift justice and government intervention.
Imam Rabiu, a community leader and Barakallahu citizen, prayed to Allah for the pardon of those killed in the event.
“The incident broke the community as a whole. Due to the horrific event of eight family members dying simultaneously, the entire village was silent that night. “May Allah pardon them,” Rabiu wrote.
Barakallahu resident Adam also called the incident “dreadful and painful.”
He remarked simply, “It was a terrible incident because many lives were lost.”
The family is reportedly left to grieve in silence, according to Mai Yadi.
We have laid our dear ones to rest. Our prayers have been spoken. Yet the agony is still there. We should at least expect those in authority and those in charge to show empathy,” he remarked.
