A fatal accident has claimed the lives of six people after a reckless lorry driver knocked off a barrier while trying to access a bridge in Kaduna state. The knocked off barrier dropped and destroyed the blue vehicle killing its occupants as it drove beneath the bridge. Six people were confirmed dead at the scene including a woman who was on her way to sit for exam. One person critically ill was taken to hospital.
Reporting the sad incident on Facebook, Idris Ahmed wrote: “HOW CORRUPTION AND RECKLESSNESS KILLED THEM!
This ghastly accident happened on Monday,18/9/2017, at the flyover bridge in Kawo Kaduna. Ms Rabi Adam (in yellow dress lying dead on the road and in passport size photograph), was a student of the National Open University. She was on her way to sit for exam at Rigachukun, when she lost her life.
The yellow stripped barrier pole shown in the attached pictures was erected by Kaduna state government to stop lorries and heavy goods vehicles plying over the flyover bridge at Kawo. One reckless lorry driver decided to ignore traffic warning sign and attempted to access the bridge, thereby knocking the barrier off. It then dropped and destroyed the blue vehicle with its occupants, which was passing beneath the bridge. Six people confirmed dead at the scene. One person critically ill was taken to hospital.
Meanwhile, because of the delay in arrival of police and emergency services at the scene, thieves stole the wallet and mobile phone of late Ms Rabi Adam. They had the audacity to use the stolen phone to call her parents and tell them that their daughter had died in a ghastly accident.
CUPS investigator, who spoke with Ms Rabi’s colleague, learnt that this is the third time that the same type of incidence happened at the same spot, taking innocent lives. The root cause of the problem is the bad engineering of the barrier pole. The money allocated to erect a foolproof barrier has been siphoned off. This makeshift barrier pole is poorly soldered. It is not fit for purpose. Each time it is hit by reckless drivers, the poor soldering gives way. The barrier pole then drops and causes fatalities.
Unless somebody in charge of roads at Kaduna state looks into this disgraceful and criminal negligence, our people will keep losing their lives at the Kawo flyover bridge. May the souls of the deceased rest in peace. Amen.”
