At least 18 people sustained injuries on Sunday when a commercial vehicle rammed into a crowd of All Progressives Congress supporters in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
According to The PUNCH, the incident occurred in Yakasawa village, about two kilometres from Ringim town, where residents had gathered to welcome Governor Umar Namadi for the 15th edition of the Citizens and Government Engagement Programme.
The state government organises the event to strengthen interaction between officials and communities.
Eyewitnesses said the Volkswagen Golf, with registration number FKJ 102 JB, lost control and veered off the road into the waiting crowd.
“The driver was not in control of the vehicle, and it suddenly veered off the road and crashed into the people standing by the roadside,” one witness told reporters, requesting anonymity.
Another witness explained that the priority at the scene was to rescue the injured rather than identify them.
“We didn’t have time to know their names; our focus was on rushing them to the hospital,” he said.
Residents quickly moved the victims to safety before personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived to transport them to Ringim General Hospital.
Speaking to journalists, Saminu Shehu, another eyewitness, confirmed: “They were immediately taken to the hospital in an FRSC vehicle for medical attention.”
The spokesperson for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Jigawa, ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, confirmed the crash.
He said preliminary findings indicated the driver, who was speeding, swerved to avoid a pothole before losing control.
“The vehicle was carrying passengers when it lost control and crashed, affecting 18 people in total,” Tijjani stated. “Thankfully, no lives were lost, but the injured suffered varying degrees of harm.”
Tijjani commended the swift response from NSCDC and FRSC officers, adding that the command would carry out a full investigation to prevent similar incidents.
He urged motorists to slow down and be cautious, especially in areas with bad road conditions.
