At least two Benue State lawmakers, representing Guma and Kwande West constituencies and yet-to-be-identified persons were reportedly injured when the convoy of the state governor, Samuel Ortom, was involved in an accident on Friday.
According to report, the governor and the Peoples Democratic Party supporters were travelling to Utokon community in the Ado Local Government Area.
The driver of a branded bus full of PDP supporters lost control and rammed into three vehicles: an SUV, a security vehicle, and another bus in the convoy.
Some other vehicles were also affected by the incident, which occurred at 10:50 a.m. on Friday.
The convoy’s motorcade reportedly included the state’s deputy governor, Engr Benson Abounu, Senator Abba Moro, House of Representatives and House of Assembly members from the Benue South district, as well as other top government and party officials in the state.
Meanwhile, an ambulance attached to the convoy transported the injured to the hospital, while the rest of the passengers continued their journey.
According to the World Health Organization, Africa has the highest road accident death rates in the world, with Nigeria topping the list of African countries with the most traffic accident-related fatalities.
Similarly, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 1,834 people died in road accidents between January and March 2022 in the country.
NBS reveals that a number of factors are responsible for road traffic crashes in Nigeria, ranging from speed violations, light/sign violations, wrongful overtaking, dangerous driving and tyre problems as causes of road traffic accidents in the country.
Brake failures, route violations, and bad roads are also mentioned as causes.
WHO also reported that over 1.3 million people die each year as a result of traffic accidents worldwide, with pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists accounting for more than half of all road traffic fatalities.
