Fatal road crashes: Jigawa residents call for government action

The recent fatal clashes in Jigawa have sparked discussions about their causes and potential solutions.

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While Jigawa State is noted for its well-maintained road network, some residents argue that the smooth asphalt has inadvertently encouraged recklessness among drivers, leading to a surge in fatal road crashes.

“The problem is not the roads; it is the drivers,” said Muntari Isa, a resident of Dutse. “Some load vehicles far beyond their capacity and still drive at breakneck speeds.”

Other residents highlighted the practice of “human-cargo mixing.”

Ibrahim Musa lamented that it has become common to see four passengers squeezed into the trunk of a vehicle while heavy goods are strapped to the roof.

“A single commercial vehicle now carries 11 or 12 adults—three in the front, four in the middle, and four in the boot,” Mr Musa said. “If there are children, they are simply squeezed into the gaps.”

The public outcry followed major accidents across the Ringim, Dutse, Babura, and Hadejia local government areas, which led to over 30 deaths.

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A week of carnage

Yahaya Ibrahim, spokesperson for the Jigawa Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed that 39 people were killed in just seven days.

The tragic sequence began on 25 December in the Ringim Local Government Area along the Ringim–Kano highway. On the same day, six people were killed in a separate crash in Hadejia.

According to Mr Ibrahim, one of the incidents involved a red Volkswagen Golf 3. The vehicle, designed for five people, was severely overloaded with 20 passengers—six men, eight women, and six children.

A front tyre burst at high speed, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a tree, resulting in 11 deaths and nine injuries.

The deadliest incident occurred on Tuesday, 30 December, involving two Volkswagen Golf cars and a tipper truck, which claimed 18 lives. On that same day, four additional fatalities were recorded along the Kano–Gumel highway.

A family was wiped out

The Jigawa Sector Commander of the FRSC, Umar Matazu, explained that in the Dutse accident, a driver lost control, crossed into the opposite lane, and collided head-on with an oncoming Golf. Moments later, a tipper truck travelling in the same lane crashed into the wreckage.

One of the Golf cars was reportedly carrying 14 members of the same family travelling to a naming ceremony. There were no survivors from that vehicle. Ibrahim Yakubu, a relative of the victims, told Freedom Radio that 12 of his relatives—the wives and children of Yakubu Fake—were buried on Tuesday.

“We pray for their eternal rest,” Mr Yakubu said. “We have nothing to say but to thank Allah for any condition we find ourselves in.”

The call for “Lamido’s Standard”

Many residents are now demanding a return to the “Lamido Standard.” During the administration of Sule Lamido (2007–2015), Jigawa implemented some of the strictest transport regulations in Northern Nigeria.

The “Lamido Standard” included seating limits, such as a strict ban on the “three-in-front” arrangement. Salon cars were limited to one passenger in the front and three in the back.

Traffic task forces were empowered to arrest violators on the spot, leading to immediate fines or vehicle impoundment.

READ ALSO: 29 killed in two separate road accidents in Jigawa

There was also a crackdown on transit drivers from northeastern states, forcing them to comply with Jigawa’s loading policies while passing through the state.

Ibrahim Garba, a civil servant, argued that safety should come before cost. “As a passenger, I should spend more for my safety than to pay little and enter a vehicle jam-packed with humans like animals.”

However, some drivers at the Dutse Central Motor Park, such as Baba Haruna, pointed to economic pressures. “I prefer boarding fewer passengers, but not everyone can afford the higher fare. Drivers carry more people to cover fuel costs and vehicle maintenance.”

The causes of the crash

The FRSC said that a combination of high speed and excessive weight is a recipe for disaster. Mr Matazu noted that overloading puts immense pressure on a vehicle’s suspension and tyres.

“A vehicle designed for five people is frequently used to carry 15 to 20. This weight increases the internal temperature of the tyres, leading to the bursts witnessed in the Dutse and Ringim accidents.”