Driver’s Struggle With Sleep Led To Death Of 12 Passengers – FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has confirmed the death of twelve passengers who boarded a bus in Abuja for Benin, in Edo State.

Naija News reports that the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Edo State, Cyril Matthew, said the collision could have been avoided, but the driver was struggling with sleep as a result of fatigue.

Speaking in Benin on Sunday, Matthew explained that the accident occurred around 5 am, on Saturday, at the Igueoviobo community, near an army checkpoint along the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi Expressway, involving a Toyota Hiace bus and a truck.

According to him, the 12 passengers were identified through the vehicle’s manifest. He said the truck driver and his assistant were unhurt.

“The bus departed Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and headed for Benin City, but collided with an oncoming truck en route Auchi, around 5 a.m.

“All the occupants of the bus were killed in the auto crash, which might have been caused by fatigue, with the driver likely to have dozed off, leading to the collision, and the bus was engulfed in flames, making it impossible to save the victims.

“The truck’s driver and his assistant, fondly called ‘Motor Boy,’ escaped unhurt. Officials of FRSC were able to identify the bodies through the vehicle’s manifest. We have since contacted their families,” he stated.

He urged drivers to avoid fatigue to prioritize rest during long journeys, “after driving for four hours and when they felt tired, to avoid unnecessary and preventable loss of lives of mostly innocent persons“.