A devastating accident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, December 11, claiming the lives of at least eight students from the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, and their bus driver.
The tragedy occurred on Zaria Road in the Jos metropolis when a high-speed trailer reportedly lost control due to brake failure and slammed into the bus conveying the students.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that nine people—eight students and the bus driver—died instantly at the scene.
The students were returning from a night outing around 2 a.m. in two hired vehicles when the incident took place in the Zaria Road Stadium area.
The immense force of the trailer’s impact caused the bus driver to lose control, sending the vehicle violently crashing into an electric pole just before the Farin Gada bridge.
Two students managed to survive the horrific collision and were rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
A survivor recounted: “The collision tore the bus apart, killing eight occupants instantly before emergency responders later arrived to evacuate the bodies and rushed the two to a nearby hospital.
“We were sitting at the back, so the force didn’t hit us as badly. Immediately, the trailer struck us, and the bus started shaking. Before anyone could react, we hit the electric pole. The whole bus just broke apart.
“We were heading home after a night out in two buses around 2am when the tragic incident happened. It was so sudden. We didn’t even see the trailer. After the hit, everyone was shouting, then the crash happened.”
While DSP Alabo Alfred, the Plateau State Police spokesman, was not immediately available to confirm the incident, a senior police officer told newsmen that authorities have launched a manhunt for the trailer driver.
The driver reportedly fled the scene immediately following the tragic accident.
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