A devastating accident along the Kaduna-Zaria highway on Monday evening has claimed the lives of eight members of a single family, leaving two others critically injured. The victims were standing by the roadside in the Barakallahu area when a speeding vehicle veered off the road and struck them.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m. during the Eid-el-Kabir festivities, as the victims, including women and children, were returning from a visit to their grandmother’s house.
According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle an ash-coloured Mercedes GLK Jeep was reportedly driven by a young man from the Rigachikun community, who fled the scene immediately after the crash.
“We lost eight members of our family that evening,” said Malam Jamilu Usman Mai Yadi, a grief-stricken father and husband from Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada. “My wife, Khadija Umar, my two children Sadiq, 16, and Muhammad, 9 her two sisters, and their aunt all died. Ten members of my family were hit; eight died, and two are still in the hospital.”
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Mai Yadi recounted how the victims were simply waiting by the roadside, hoping to catch a ride home, when the tragedy occurred.
“The driver must have been speeding. My wife’s leg was crushed beyond recognition. Sadiq’s body was recovered later by Road Safety officials,” he said.
Among the deceased was Zainab Muhammad, who was eight months pregnant with twins. Her husband, Sulaiman Abdulkadir Mai Shinkafa, a cleric from Hayin Rigasa, described the horrifying aftermath.
“She was due to give birth soon. We had prepared everything for the twins we even named them Hassan and Hussaini,” he said. “Our six-year-old son, Khalid, was also hit. Her body was mangled, and Khalid’s bones shattered. We had to gather their remains with planks. No family should have to endure this.”
Mai Shinkafa, like other grieving relatives, expressed deep frustration over what he described as neglect by both the government and the community.
“No one from the driver’s family, despite his father being a well-known politician, has come to console us. Not a single representative from the state government has reached out. It’s as if our lives don’t matter,” he lamented.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the accident, attributing it to over-speeding and poor road conditions due to heavy rainfall.
Sector Commander Tijjani Iliyasu provided details: “The driver lost control on a slippery, rain-soaked road and rammed into pedestrians. Six people died on the spot. We rescued the injured and rushed them to the hospital. By the time we arrived, the driver and others in the vehicle had fled under the cover of darkness. The car was abandoned at the scene.”
He added that the case has been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation.
“The vehicle is now in police custody. Our priority at the time was saving lives, which we did to the best of our ability,” Iliyasu said.
Government, Police Remain Silent
Despite the public outrage and grief, neither the Kaduna State Police Command nor the state government has issued an official statement as of the time of this report. Multiple attempts to contact Police Public Relations Officer DSP Mansir Hassan were unsuccessful, as his phone remained unreachable.
The silence from authorities continues to fuel resentment among the victims’ families and the broader community.
Daily Trust
