A tragic scene unfolded in Egbolo, Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Monday as four schoolchildren were confirmed dead and several others injured when a truck transporting them to school veered off course and plunged into a river.
The pupils, who were heading to Ofuloko community due to the absence of a functional school in Egbolo, were said to be aboard a truck conveying building materials when the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m.
Witnesses said panic swept through the area as residents rushed to rescue the children trapped beneath the vehicle.
The distress quickly turned to outrage, prompting locals to barricade the road in protest over what they described as years of government abandonment.
A grieving parent, who lost his son, accused the authorities of neglecting Egbolo and failing to provide basic educational infrastructure, a situation he said has forced children to trek long, unsafe routes to neighbouring villages.
Also, a youth leader in the community, Usman Idrisu, confirmed that the accident occurred “around 8 a.m., when a truck carrying building materials ferried some of the pupils to drop them at Ofuloko primary school.”
He explained that the vehicle “was involved in an accident leading to the death of four children, with many sustaining various degrees of injuries.”
According to him, “The truck could not climb the hill after it crossed the bridge and rolled backward before plunging into the river.
“We are seriously grieved in the Egbolo community for the death of four of our children who died in the cause of seeking education,” he lamented.
Idrisu further decried the community’s lack of a primary school despite its population, noting that children must trek long distances daily to access basic education in Ofuloko.
He appealed to Governor Ahmed Ododo to “consider the population of the community and establish a primary school in the community” to avert future tragedies.