Six police officers attached to the Kano State Police Command, under the Bichi Division, have lost their lives in a road accident while returning from election duty deployment in Edo State.
A security source told FIJ that the officers — three inspectors, one sergeant and two corporals — lost their lives on Tuesday following a fatal accident at Karfi Village, Zaria Expressway, Kano.
Another source who spoke to one of the eyewitnesses but asked not to be named told FIJ that Shehu Bala, who drove the officers, was responsible for the accident as he was over-speeding.
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He further explained that the casualty toll was high, as more than 18 police officers were in the 18-seater bus.
“From what I heard from the policeman who witnessed the accident, he said the accident was caused by Bala, who drove the police vehicle and collided with the trailer,” said the source.
“The accident happened around 1:20 am. It was an 18-passenger bus but there were more police officers than the bus could accommodate.”
He said that the officers were returning to the state headquarters, from where they would disperse to their stations.
“The officers were going to the state headquarters; they had first reported there after being called up from different divisions across the state.”
FIJ understands that the bus conveying the officers was marked registration number NO. 14B 101, while the trailer was marked registration number DAL 272 ZY.
Inspector Usman Salihu, Sergeant Umar Muhammad, and Corporal Kamalu Shehu all died on the spot due to the impact of the accident, but Sergeant Saidu Salisu and Corporal Abubakar Nuhu died while receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano. The other officer is Inspector Hashimu Garba.
However, 10 of the officers sustained injuries and are currently undergoing medical care.
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FIJ called Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the spokesperson of the Kano State Police Command, for a reaction on Tuesday, but he did not answer the calls placed to him twice.
Text and WhatsApp messages sent to him had not been responded to as of press time.
Residents of Edo had gone to the polls to select a new governor on Saturday. FIJ reported how some residents of the state had stayed back for fear of a violent clash breaking out during the election.
The post 6 Kano Policemen Returning From Edo Election Die in Road Accident appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.