Two persons have been confirmed dead, while six others sustained serious injuries in a late-night road crash involving a heavy-duty truck along the Gombe–Yola Road in Gombe State.
The accident occurred around 10:20pm on Tuesday at New Mile 3, close to the entrance of the main dual carriageway on the Gombe axis.
Findings showed that the crash involved a long open-body truck conveying bags of rice, which was allegedly abandoned improperly by the roadside.
Confirming the incident, the Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters and Intergovernmental Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Danbayo, said preliminary investigations pointed to negligence on the part of the truck driver.
According to him, the vehicle was not properly secured, as the handbrake was reportedly not fully engaged, causing the truck to move on its own and ram into a Mach Operations Hattara Toyota Hilux.
Danbayo added that the out-of-control truck also hit some individuals at the scene, including a member of the Hattara vigilante group and another passenger whose identity had yet to be established.
“The impact resulted in the instant death of two persons, while six others sustained varying degrees of serious injuries,” he said.
The injured victims were rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, for urgent medical attention, while the remains of the deceased were deposited at the Specialist Hospital, Gombe.
The security aide further disclosed that the truck driver had been apprehended and was currently being held by the police.
He said the suspect was detained at the Tumfure Police Division and would be transferred to the Motor Traffic Department in Gombe for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Authorities have warned motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, against indiscriminate parking along major highways, stressing that such actions often result in avoidable loss of lives.
Investigations into the crash are ongoing.
The incident came on the same day 11 passengers reportedly lost their lives in another road accident along the Benin–Asaba highway in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, where seven others were injured.