The Federal Roads Safety Commission, ( FRSC ) had confirmed the death of 17 travellers in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Saturday night.
The FRSC Unit Commander in Akwanga, Assistant Corps Commander Ebere Onyegbaduo said, ” We received a distress call of a ghastly accident by 7 pm around ‘Ahead Town’, it is between Akwanga and Gudi Towns.
“We rushed to the scene and found a Commercial VW Sharon Bus and a Private Toyota Sienna Bus engulfed in flames with the occupants inside the burning vehicles.
“We called for Fire Brigade, the fire was contained by 11pm and we completed the rescue by 2 am” he said.
Ebere said preliminary investigation showed that the Sharon Bus coming from Abuja was overtaking on a hill, and at a bend when it ran into the Sienna bus and the two vehicles went up in flames leading to the death of 17 People beyond recognition.
He said the occupants of the Sharon Bus have been deposited at the Akwanga General Hospital while those of the Sienna have been taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, ( DASH) in Lafia.
He cautioned drivers to avoid dangerous driving to safeguard their lives and of others. The occupants of the Sienna salon car have been identified as Prince Nuhu Hamman Gabdo, his wife and Children.
They were returning to Abuja after the visit to his town in Gashaka, Mambilla plateau of Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba state.
The late Nuhu Hamman Gabdo was a staff with Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) in Abuja and held the traditional title of Ubandoma of Gashaka Chiefdom.
Meanwhile, the people of Gashaka chiefdom in Taraba state are mourning the death of Yarima Nuhu Hamman Gabdo who died alongside his wife and four children in a ghastly motor accident in Nasarawa state on Saturday.
Yarima Nuhu a brother to the chief of Gashaka, Lamdo Zubairu Hamman Gabdo, died along with his wife Hadiza SM Nguroje, a younger sister to former Deputy speaker of the House of Representative, Babangida Nguroje.
The four children that died along with their parents are Ummi, Ayman, Firdausi and Abdullah.
Business and all other activities in Serti the Traditional seat of Gashaka chiefdom were suspended immediately the news of the death of prince Nuhu and his family members broke out.
Sympathisers in their thousands trooped to the palace of Lamdo Gashaka in Serti to register their condolences.
Emirs and chiefs from within and outside Taraba were also at the palace for condolences.
The Lamdo Zubairu Hamman Gabdo disclosed in a Telephone interview that funeral prayers for late Yarima Nuhu and his late family would be conducted at the palace of Emir of Lafiya and funeral will also be conducted in Lafiya Nasarawa state.
“We are into mourning over the sad incident that claimed the lives of Yarima Nuhu and his entire family” he said.
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