A routine interstate journey turned tragic on Saturday as a senior police officer lost his life and 17 other passengers were injured in a ghastly auto crash along the Potiskum–Bauchi highway in Yobe State.
The fatal accident occurred at about 3:15 p.m. on February 21 near the bye-pass roundabout area of PKM on the outskirts of Potiskum.
The ill-fated vehicle, a Toyota Hummer Bus belonging to Borno Express, was conveying 18 passengers from Kaduna to Maiduguri when tragedy struck. Sources revealed that the bus reportedly lost control after the rear tyre rim on the passenger side suddenly detached.
In a desperate attempt to regain control, the driver veered off the highway into a nearby bush, leaving passengers with varying degrees of injuries.
Among the victims was ACP Abubakar Ibrahim Balteh, 45, attached to the Borno State Police Command, who sustained a severe head injury and died at the scene.
Two male and two female passengers escaped unhurt, while 13 others suffered serious injuries.
The injured victims, alongside the deceased officer, were evacuated to the General Hospital Potiskum for medical attention and necessary procedures.
The incident has once again raised concerns over road safety and vehicle maintenance on Nigeria’s busy inter-state highways.
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