Protest as trailer kills one, injures 6 in Yobe

At least one person has been confirmed dead and six others hospitalised following a fatal collision in Yobe State.

The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday night in Damagum, located in the Fune Local Government Area, sparking outrage among residents who are calling for stricter road safety enforcement and better regulation of heavy-duty vehicles.

In response to the crash, angry youths took to the streets in protest, decrying what they described as recurring accidents on the highway that have claimed numerous lives.

Damagum—situated along the busy Damaturu–Potiskum road—records heavy human and market activities on Sundays and Wednesdays, resulting in frequent pedestrian crossings near the highway and contributing to repeated accidents.

Police operatives swiftly intervened and dispersed the protesters peacefully to prevent the situation from being hijacked by criminal elements.

A witness told Daily Trust that the crash involved a trailer travelling from Damaturu to Lagos, which reportedly lost control and rammed into a Mitsubishi Canter loaded with passengers.

“The trailer, with registration number MUS 791XH, violently slammed into the smaller vehicle carrying eighteen occupants, leaving the scene in chaos,” the witness said.

Another resident described the Potiskum–Maiduguri road as increasingly unsafe for the Damagum community.

“The frequency of these heartbreaking incidents in Damagum is causing sorrow and anger across the community. We are losing people almost daily on this road. We’re calling on authorities to install speed limits, conduct routine checks on overloaded trailers, and enforce stricter penalties for reckless driving,” he said.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Yobe State Police Command, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, said: “As a result, several passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries, while one Dahiru Maikudi, 40, of Yaskawel, was medically examined and certified dead at the General Hospital, Damagum. Six victims were later referred to the Teaching Hospital for further medical attention.”

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